On the Run
by Gin Yuri
Summary: Sequel to the Existence of Pain; Sakura and Pein must find a way across the ocean to escape to safety, not knowing what they'll find in that new world.. Naruto, Sasuke, and the others back in Konoha are desperate to find out what happened to their friend.
1. Chapter 1 On the Run

Hallo again my lovely readers! It took a while, but I was finally able to put together my first chapter of the sequel to the Existence of Pain. I hope you all like it, please leave me some feedback on what you think! -GinYuri

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Chapter 1

* * *

_On the run_.

That phrase never used to mean much to me, not when everything I knew and wanted existed in the place I called home. They were words that referred only to people I used to hear about or hunt on missions, before I returned to my safe village life. They described my assassination targets, those nameless bad people, who needed to be caught for the common good. Even when the boy I used to love left us all to go on the run, where he was, and what he did was while he was gone, were all only vague ideas compared to the concrete knowledge that he simply wasn't there anymore.

Then came the day when I became the target, the escapist, the one on the run, and suddenly everything became much clearer.

* * *

Sakura rolled over in her sleep, turning towards the only source of heat her body could find. Her arm swung over the warmth and she cuddled into it, knowing he was awake and watching. She opened her eyes when the warmth shifted.

The two missing-nins huddled together under the cover of several blankets and the lowest branches of a thick pine. The snow blowing outside couldn't force its way through the boughs, leaving them on a dry mat of dirt and dead needles and out of the storm. Only small patches of light seeped in, yet the wind still managed to reach them.

Pein had made sure Sakura was completely covered from the wind, even going so far as to wrap himself around her to keep her warm under the covers. With the body heat caught between them, both were almost comfortably warm.

"It's almost dusk," he whispered gently. She nodded a bit, not wanting to get up just yet. It was getting colder the farther north they traveled. The chilly but bearable autumn evenings dropped to freezing nights filled with snow and howling wind. That meant more merciless wind burning her cheeks as they would run nightly, seizing her throat and trying with all its might to intimidate her to stop. At first, she had used up all her chakra to hide herself within the first couple days, exhausting herself to the point where she had passed out while running. But since then, Pein had used his own massive chakra reserve to shield the both of them so that Sakura wouldn't run out again.

They always ran at night because if they were recognized, they'd be killed. Mostly they gave all of civilization a wide girth and kept to the thick of the forest that spread from the Fire Country to the northern ends of the Lightning. If they desperately needed food or clean water, they would stop at a shop on the outskirts of some small village, under the illusion of two wanderers with very generic, forgettable faces.

During the day they slept. At least, they slept when they weren't hunting for food or looking for a river or searching for a safe shelter or cleaning their weapons, all the while remaining on guard for an attack. But even while she slept, Sakura knew that sometimes Pein would stay awake to make sure they were safe. The first few days she was sure he got no sleep at all. But the more land they placed between themselves and the Fire Country, the more sleep they were granted.

But running on a few hours of sleep in the daylight, and running all night for weeks, Sakura felt completely run down. Her body ached all the time, and it wasn't helped by the stress of constantly being on her toes, never sure if the next minute might bring an enemy or ambush sent to kill them. It was exhausting both physically and mentally, and sometimes she felt like she was on the verge of snapping. Thankfully Pein being with her was a soothing reminder of the reason she put herself in this situation, and knowing he was with her made it all worth it.

The howling wind began to die down, making the forest eerily silent under the snowfall.

Pein tensed up next to her - something was wrong.

She opened her eyes to the distinct sound of snow barely crunching under light footsteps. It wasn't far away. Instincts had her wide awake in an instant, muscles tightened and heart pounding.

Pein's hand rested on hers to calm her down. He was already up on his elbows and his eyes were fixed on a spot outside their cover.

A bird called nearby. But it wasn't any sort of bird that she had heard before. Another bird sang out not far away, and the nearer one responded. It was definitely a code; there were ninja nearby, probably hunter-nin. They were calling out to contact each other.

The footsteps neared. Sakura had to fight the urge to bolt - every muscle in her body was tense and she held her breath. Her mind raced to all the ways she and Pein could be captured. But the still-falling snow must have erased their scent as well as any tracks, and both of them were cloaking their chakra constantly, so as long as the hunter-nin didn't hear or see them, they could be safe.

She finally saw some movement through the branches. A hooded figure appeared, crouching low. His steps were light and chakra-induced, so that his feet just padded on top of the deep snow instead of plunging into it. He paused just outside their pine, and for a minute the forest was so silent that Sakura could swear her beating heart would give them away. The ninja turned towards them, and instead of a face they saw a white mask with colored stripes painted on. Black eye sockets stared blankly ahead, making it impossible to tell where his eyes were fixed. The figure moved on, his footsteps fading away into silence.

For a few minutes neither of them moved. When it was clear there was no one else around anymore, Sakura turned back to Pein.

"That was a Cloud hunter-nin," she whispered incredulously. The small mark on the forehead of the mask gave that away. "What - how could they be looking for us already? This far north?"

"I don't know," he ran a hand through his hair and looked to the direction where the ninja had left. "I never expected them to be looking for us this far from the Rain."

"Maybe they were looking for someone else?"

"Not likely. The Cloud hasn't had their own missing-nin for months, and they don't get much traffic up here, anyway."

"Dammit . . ." She felt her breath hitch as the realization hit her. After all this time and all the distance they'd traveled, they still weren't safe. "Pein, what are we gonna do? If we're being looked for even here -"

"We'll do the same thing we've been doing, princess," he said resolutely, "We're going to reach that port town and get across that ocean, and live together in a place where no one's looking for us. And they can hunt for us here as much as they want to, I don't care. Because no amount of hunters from any and every country is going to stop us from getting there."

She nodded in agreement. When he talked like that, it was easy to picture whisker-like marks on his cheeks and sky blue in his eyes. Sometimes the likeness between the two was uncanny. They both held such passion in their hearts for what they loved, and once they set their minds to something, there was nothing in the world that could stop them.

He kissed her gently and caught her in his arms with a mischievous glint in his eye. She could almost hear his thoughts now, and since the adrenaline was still pumping through her veins from the fright, she found herself smiling back at him.

"You know, we've got some time to kill before we can head out again . . ."

* * *

Days later, they were still deep in the Lightning Country, and had luckily found an old abandoned temple on the outskirts of some houses. It wasn't more than a shack with some dusty statues of kami and Buddhas on an altar, but it was warm and safe, and a welcome relief from the elements. A few bottles of sake had been sitting there as an offering, but Sakura refused to allow Pein to touch them. They were for the kami after all, she claimed, and although she didn't consider herself a religious person, she and Pein really needed them on their side now.

The snowstorm had come and gone, and the afternoon sun had mercifully melted most of the snow away. It was probably no more than uncomfortably cold now, but that didn't mean she wanted to leave the only man-made shelter they'd had for weeks.

She stretched out on the blanket laid on the floor and almost howled in pain. Her thighs were seizing up fiercely from a particularly long run the night before, and her head felt like a thousand little Naruto's were pounding on her skull.

"I can't run any more today, Pein," she groaned. "I need a break."

He leant down next to her and touched her forehead.

"I don't feel a fever, at least. You're probably just sore."

"I feel like I'm dead."

"There's a town just five miles east of us. Let's just get there tonight and maybe we'll find a hotel to sleep in."

"Really? A hotel?" The word sounded almost foreign to her now. A hotel was a luxury outcasts like them just couldn't have.

He nodded. "A hotel with a soft bed, and cooked food, and running water."

She smiled with chapped lips. Running water meant a shower - a shower! Such an amazing invention, and without it they had to bathe in cold rivers with no soap or shampoo or anything to take away the stench of sleeping outside. The layers of sweat and dirt on the both of them alone could probably give them away.

"Are you sure we can risk it?"

"Probably not. But . . . I know this has all been so hard on you. You deserve a little relaxation." He kissed her forehead.

"We both do," she said gratefully.

He was always so aware of how hard this kind of life was for her. It wasn't like she had never been on long missions before, but even A-class assassination missions seemed like a game compared to actually being the target. Pein had lived this life for a long time – she was still getting used to it. The constant hunger and thirst, the unavoidable smell, evading every other human, not to mention always looking out for trained nin-animals and traps . . . she wasn't sure she could ever really get used to it. Thankfully they had only a few days left before they reached the port town where they would finally leave this place for good and stop running.

She snuggled in closer to him and they waited on the thin blanket until the sun sank behind the treetops. Then they got up, stretched, packed their few things, and took off at a wonderfully slow jog towards the town.

* * *

"Oh, kami. Is that food I smell?"

Sakura almost drooled at the delicious scent that wafted towards them even before they saw the town. How long had it been since she'd had real, cooked food? Seven or eight weeks maybe? She had to actually stop herself from running towards it.

They were walking on a wide dirt road that we ran into a few miles back, having disguised themselves with ninjustu, of course, before they stepped out into the open. Sakura now had long brown hair and gray eyes, while Pein wore a plain, un-pierced face with black hair and dark eyes. She couldn't lie to herself – it was severely disturbing to know it was Pein walking beside her yet seeing an unfamiliar face that could have belonged to anybody. At least his expression couldn't be hidden under a jutsu. Right now he was nervous, although he hid it well. She had come to be able to read the smallest hints of emotion he displayed when he was deep in thought. Right now his lips were drawn in a tight line and his eyes constantly scanning the forest around them. He was anxious, but probably not as much as she was.

"Ok, princess," he said as they walked, "Let's pick our names for this town."

It was a game they played whenever they reached somewhere new. It was Pein's idea to do it, and he said as long as they picked their own disguises, they might as well have new names to match. Sakura liked to mix up the names of famous actresses, trying out each one like a new set of clothes. Pein usually used names of people she'd never heard of, and she often wondered how he came up with them.

"I'll be Yatsunao Hanabi," she said.

Pein laughed. "That sounds like a stripper's name!"

"It does not, it's a pretty name!"

"If you say so, Hanabi. Now, how much for a dance?"

She smacked his arm playfully. "What'd you come up with?"

"My name's Taikyoto Ichi."

"Hmm. Ichi's too plain a name for you," she argued. "How about Izumi, or Masato?"

"I can't help what I've been named, Hanabi-chan. How would my dear parents feel if they knew you didn't like the name they picked?"

"Well, next time we see them we'll have to let them know that their son, a maniacal killer, is too screwed in the head to be named Ichi."

Sakura was proudly getting better at this banter with him, but just as he answered with some smart remark they rounded a bend in the road, and the town of Kaosa was before them, loud and full of life.

There weren't any gates to the town, since it was so small. There was one long main street, full of carts and shops and people who were probably ecstatic at the mercifully warm winter weather. A chilly breeze blew towards them, carrying the smell of pastries and making Sakura's stomach growl loudly.

"I never thought I could crave so many different foods as I do now," she complained.

"Then, shall we, Hanabi-chan?" Pein took her arm and they walked into the town, blissfully and purposefully forgetting the fact that they shouldn't be there at all.

There were more things to look at than she imagined. She pulled Pein from cart to cart, looking at all the things for sale. He didn't seem to mind, and was actually smiling at her whenever she gaped at something new and amazing, like the homemade pastries and little wooden toys. She had never been this far north in her life, so a lot of the food and culture was new to her.

The clothing was different there, too. Almost everyone wore thick cloaks with big rice hats or umbrellas, so one of the first things they did was to stop and buy outfits to fit in. It was a bit nerve-wracking to step into a store and talk to the owner, but they weren't recognized and uneventfully bought two hooded cloaks. It was perfect timing too, because the second they stepped back outside the sky opened and a sheet of cold rain fell.

"At least we have less of a chance of being seen here," Pein said optimistically, as they paused under the awning of a shop.

"Are you doing this?" Sakura asked, nodding towards the downpour.

He shook his head. "Do you really think _all_ rain is my fault?"

She laughed. "Not anymore. Hey let's find someplace to eat, I forgot what real food tastes like!"

They darted around the streets between a walk and a jog, trying to keep under crowded awnings and crossing streets, until they found a small coffee shop that wasn't too crowded.

Sakura winced at the loud bell that rung when Pein opened the door. Inside it was dark but cozy, with a half dozen tables surrounding a center counter. Pein motioned to the back and they sat down at the farthest table from the door.

Pulling down her hood, she glanced absently at Pein and did a double take. At some point he had changed his hair color from black to blonde.

"Ugh, really?" she snorted, "Blonde's not your color."

He smiled back mischievously, and his face changed before her eyes. Suddenly she was looking at the equivalent of a male model, with almost feminine good looks, complete with golden bangs swept over sea green eyes. If she didn't know it was just an illusion, she was sure she'd have trouble keeping composure around him. And judging by that smile he probably knew it, the arrogant idiot.

"Oh, my, you're so dreamy," she batted her eyelashes at him. "Pein-sama finally _looks_ like a god."

He leaned in to her. "Hanabi-chan, if you use my real name again, it might be the death of us," he said with a smile.

"Ah – Ooh. I'm so sorry." Sakura winced. If anybody heard his infamous name, even in the Lightning Country, they could be attacked.

"It won't happen again, Ichi-kun!" she said quickly. "How can I make it up to you?"

He made an overdramatic camera pose. "How about buying a god some coffee?"

She burst out laughing, but a few odd looks from the locals shut her up.

"I can't take you seriously looking like that," she said, "It's like I'm talking to a model!"

"You think _this_ is funny?" he said, way too seriously. He was definitely planning something.

"Can I help you folks?" asked a young waitress, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Pein pulled off his hood and smiled at her. The poor girl's mouth fell open and her cheeks flushed like tomatoes. Sakura swore the girl was going to fall over with a nosebleed, but she collected herself and managed to smile shakily back.

"I'll have a coffee, please," Sakura said, trying hard not to laugh.

"Do you serve sake here?" Pein asked, not taking his eyes off the girl. She swallowed tightly and nodded.

"How – how much do you want?"

"Well, I don't know. How much do _you_ think I want?"

The poor girl almost fainted on the spot. Sakura's side hurt from holding in a laugh, but she decided to save her.

"We'll take one bottle of sake, too, thank you," she said, and the waitress looked relieved to have someone else to look at.

"Yes, ma'am. Your drinks will be ready in just a minute."

She scurried away and Pein broke into a wide smile.

"Now _that's_ funny," he said smugly.

"Cut it out! What happened to keeping a low profile?" But she distractedly scanned the menu as she spoke. She didn't want him to see that it was difficult to look at him the way he was now. There was such a thing as too handsome, apparently.

"I think we can manage to have some fun without giving ourselves away."

She just grumbled in return. Some hushed voices beyond the counter had caught her attention. Their waitress was talking with two others. She pointed over at Pein and they all looked. Sakura gave them a death glare and they quickly looked away.

"I think I want the kitsune udon," she said, "Do you think-"

"Here's your drinks!" Sakura's coffee was slammed down in front of her and a bottle and glass was placed in front of Pein. It was a different waitress this time, an older and more confident-looking one, and Sakura didn't like the look she was giving Pein.

"Here you go, sir," she said, flipping her hair a bit as she pulled out a notepad. "Now what can I get you to eat? I recommend the kushidango platter. They're my favorite here, they're made very sweet."

The waitress made a sickeningly cute face at him. Sakura took a breath and wondered if a vein was popping out of her forehead. Couldn't the woman see that he was sitting with someone?

"We'll just have two kitsune udon, please," he said without looking at the waitress.

"Yes, sir. So are you new in town?"

"That will that be all, thank you."

The waitress looked dejected.

"Two kitsune udon coming right up," she snapped before she left.

"Princess, I was just playing around," Pein said when they were alone again. He obviously noticed she was pissed.

"You've done this before, haven't you?"

"Ordered noodles?"

"You know what I mean."

He grinned like a kid and sat back in his chair. "Well, a god like me can't go around the world wearing the same face without getting caught for very long. Let's just say I've been doing this long enough to know how to have fun with it."

"Hm. Maybe I'll do the same thing, how'd you like that? Having guys drooling over me as I pass by, trying to get my number, trying to cop a feel –"

He made a face. "Alright! You win. But I don't see how you could make yourself any more beautiful unless you released the jutsu completely."

"You're such a suck-up," she smirked, "But that doesn't excuse the fact that you've probably gotten girls wearing a fake face, just because they don't know any better!"

"I caught you without it, didn't I?"

"Hm. I didn't know any better either, I guess," she sighed dramatically.

Their bowls came from the first waitress again. Sakura looked up to thank her but her voice fell when she saw two burly men staring in their direction. They were seated at the bar and dressed in weather-worn clothing and straw hats, and Sakura could clearly see two sheathed katana sitting on the table in front of them. She held their gaze for a moment before they turned back to their conversation.

"Hey," she said nonchalantly as she stirred her soup, "There's two big guys at the bar watching us. They've got swords."

He didn't even pause as he gulped down his soup. "Just noticed them, huh?"

She smacked him lightly on the head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think I needed to. They aren't even ninja, they're just thugs. Nothing to worry about."

"You're not afraid they'll try anything?"

"Can't see why, we're not doing anything wrong. The noodles are pretty good, you should eat before it gets cold."

She wished she could share his relaxed attitude about this. But for the rest of the meal (although interrupted by several flirty waitresses way too often) Sakura didn't catch the pair looking at them again.

Finding a hotel afterwards was no difficult job, since there was only one in the town, and it was the tallest building around. Built in the traditional style, the hotel was a towering pagoda with extensions and a beautiful courtyard out front. But the best part to her was the sign that proclaimed it an onsen.

"Finally! We can take a real bath!" she practically dragged Pein through the front doors. She stopped short when she saw that the two men from the bar were waiting at the front desk before them.

Pein calmly took her hand and led her forward. "Come on, sweetie."

He held on to her as they waited for the men to order two rooms before they were helped.

* * *

The heavy rain had faded into an easy mist when Sakura stepped out back to the hot bath. Pein had gone to the separate men's section, of course, and she had been nervous he might run into those two suspicious men there. But all worry fled her mind when she took in the sight of the steaming white water and hot rocks.

"Aahhh," she moaned in delight as she sunk down in the bath. The warmth was even more wonderful than she remembered. It wasn't often she had the chance to visit an onsen back home, but as far as she could tell, this was a good one. The fencing around it was high, and along with the babbling false waterfall, it blocked out any noise from the other side of the bath.

Sakura placed the kunai she brought with her on the ledge of the water and sunk down to her shoulders. She would have to thank Pein again for bringing her here, but she didn't intend to get out until she was nicely pruned and squeaky-clean. After all, she had a few weeks' worth of dirt and sweat to scrub off.

Humming softly to herself, she began scrubbing her skin and letting her thoughts filter out of her head. It was amazing to be able to unwind after weeks of staying mentally on guard. The melodic babbling of the waterfall was soothing, the water was steaming, and her stiff joints finally began to relax.

_Crash_!

An entire section of fence flew across the water and shattered against the rocks on the other end of the bath. A very naked man flew along with it and landed on his belly on the water in front of Sakura. He sank down slowly into the bath.

Sakura looked slowly across the water, where she could now see into the men's section. The black-haired Pein was standing in the chest-deep water with a very pissed look on his face, his hands fisted. It didn't take a genius to figure out he had done the damage.

"What the hell, Pein?" Sakura yelled, clutching her towel to cover herself. Thankfully she had kept everything under the water up to her neck, because she could see another man on the other side of the bath standing in shock of his buddy being thrown so far.

Pein looked at her suddenly and she immediately realized her mistake. It was too late to take it back now; she had practically shouted Pein's name. She looked to the man behind him and saw his expression change from shock to recognition to fear.

* * *

Maybe I shouldn't have ended chapter one a cliffhanger.. but I'll update soon! Please review!


	2. Chapter 2 At the Port

I just want to let you all know if you're wondering, that I do remember which characters you all voted to see again in this story. Give me another chapter or two, but your favorites definitely will be in this sequel. I had no idea you'd all love Tobi so much!

And thank you all for your wonderful reviews! There weren't as much as I'd expected, but you more than made up for it with telling me how excited you were for this sequel. It makes me so happy to read reviews, my readers are the best!

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_At the Port_

* * *

The only sound around them was the babbling false waterfall as the stranger behind Pein took a few slow steps back.

"You – you're the one they're looking for, aren't you?" he said incredulously. It didn't escape Sakura's notice that he was inching back towards his katana, resting on the edge of the water. But this man was no ninja, it was obvious, and he stood no chance against them.

"Calm down now," Pein warned. "You don't want to start a fight with me, understand?"

Limbs flailed in the center of the bath and the second man came up, splashing and sputtering water. He wiped strands of black hair out of his eyes and stared daggers at Pein.

"You got some nerve, pushing me like that!" he shouted.

Pein didn't respond, and the man made a seal with both hands. His friend wasn't a ninja, but this guy definitely was.

Sakura wrapped her towel around herself and leapt on top of the water as it began to churn angrily. She grabbed her kunai from the ledge and darted onto one of the surrounding boulders. Apparently the man was a water ninja – it would be dangerous to stay in his zone of control like that, but Pein hadn't moved from his spot.

"You're gonna pay for punchin' me, you idiot!" the man shouted, "Don't you know who I am? I'm the dreaded Achizu of the Cloud!"

"Never heard of you," Pein replied calmly, like they were talking about the weather.

"Achizu, watch out," called his friend, who had reached the sword and now held it before him. He was trying to look strong but his shaking arms gave him away. "This is the one we've heard about – the Akatsuki leader!"

Achizu smirked. "Pein, huh? Yeah, I've heard about you, you're the one who killed all those people in the Fire Country and kidnapped one of their kunoichi for your own. I was hoping I'd find somebody strong to take down from the Cloud, but I never thought I'd find you up north! I'm looking forward to kicking your ass right here and gettin' me some of that big reward money. And maybe I'll get a nice kiss for rescuing a damsel in distress, huh?"

He shot Sakura a seedy look that had her vein popping out of her forehead. How dare this jerk assume she was a helpless little girl?

"You sure talk a lot, but you're not very smart, are you?" she snapped, "I'm not kidnapped, I'm here of my own free will. And you couldn't take me down, let alone Pein!"

"Oh yeah, little miss? We'll see about that."

The water around the boulder shot up to Sakura and tried to wrap itself around her. She dodged under the flow and leapt up to balance on the fence, but the water swung around to crash into it. A second piece of fence shattered around her, but Sakura had safely skidded to a stop on the concrete around the bath.

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura demanded. "We're not hurting anybody!"

"Do you know how much that guy is worth in the bingo books? If I take him in, dead or alive, I'd be set for life!"

She continued to dodge the water attacks, but she wasn't prepared for the waves suddenly picking up and hurling rocks at her. One skimmed her cheek and sliced it deeply while another sharper one struck her shoulder and stuck there.

Sakura hissed in pain and decided she had to get serious. Sure, this guy wasn't a real threat, but he was enough to be an annoyance, and now he had even drawn blood.

"Need some help, princess?"

Leaping up in the air, she fell to Achizu. Her kunai sliced through a wave of water and she struck down. He jumped aside with a small cut in his arm, and Sakura was on him again. At this close range she had the advantage – he couldn't move his water quickly enough to hit her without hurting himself.

"Achizu, catch!" his friend threw the katana to him but it changed directions midair.

Pein caught the sword and shook his head. "Now, that's not fair. I'm not interfering in their fight, neither should you."

He threw the sword back and it flew straight into the man's thigh. He howled in pain as the water around him stained red.

"A real fighter knows never to toss his weapon away. Maybe now you'll learn that."

Achizu finally got a hit to Sakura and she flew across the water, skimming along the surface until a boulder stopped her hard.

She cursed as her vision blurred from the blow. A wave churned swiftly towards her, carrying with it rocks large enough to break her bones. Something grabbed her and pulled her away just as the wave crashed and split the boulder.

"Are you okay?" Pein asked, placing her down next to him. She nodded groggily.

He turned toward Achizu. "You just made a horrible mistake. I was going to let you live, until you hurt her."

The katana pulled out of the thigh of Achizu's friend, who screamed in pain even as he was pulling himself out of the bath. It twisted midair and flew into Achizu's chest.

He sputtered and the churning water instantly fell still.

"Princess, we're leaving," Pein said. "Grab your things quickly."

She rushed into the changing room, where she had left her clothes and her bag set to go. She pulled off the towel and threw on the robe, and suddenly Pein was already dressed and in the room.

At that moment the doors slid open and two of the onsen workers rushed out. They froze and took in the shattered fence, one man bleeding on the bath edge, and the other lying facedown in the water. They hadn't noticed Pein and her in the changing room.

"What the hell happened here?" one yelled. "Who the hell are you two? And who's gonna pay for all this?"

"I think you're right, let's leave," Sakura whispered. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a hunk of money, tossing it towards the door where the workers would find it.

He gave her a quick kiss. "You're too nice for your own good. I wouldn't have left them anything."

"We've go enough people chasing us now, we don't need an angry onsen owner with an unpaid bill."

"You're right, that sounds worse than ANBU."

Sakura paused and peeked through the door to see the workers dragging the body from the water. Corpses were nothing new to her in their line of work, but it didn't mean she was happy to see an unnecessary death on her behalf.

"Pein, do you think you really had to kill him?"

"No."

The friend with the bleeding leg was trying to stand to get to where Achizu's body was being laid. The sadness in his face was enough to make Sakura's stomach turn. All the fighting and death in this world, and she and Pein caused far too much of it.

"You didn't have to kill him. But then why –" his body suddenly started flailing and coughing. The man was alive.

Sakura sighed in relief.

"You didn't kill him, then."

"Nope."

She shook her head. "That might be funny later . . . right now I just want to leave."

She would have to thank him later for sparing the man's life. But she had to wonder; if she wasn't there, would he have killed them? She wanted to believe that he valued life more highly now, but the only proof she had was that he would protect her when she couldn't defend herself.

Pein picked up her bag and shouldered it with his own. "Okay, next stop, Fuchiyo Port. Let's try to stay out of trouble from now on."

Sakura started a retort as she pulled up her hood, but her wounded arm made her wince in pain.

"You want me to carry you?"

"No, I can walk on my own," she grumbled. It stung badly, but her pride was more hurt then her body; she didn't think she would need his help in such as easy fight as that.

Pein quietly slid open the door and they leapt away with the workers being none the wiser. Within minutes the were at the border of the small village and leapt down behind some buildings to mix in with the crowd.

"So much for a relaxing onsen," Sakura sighed as they walked away down the main road, wearing new faces. "So much for not getting attacked, either."

"I'm sorry you got hurt. I took an unnecessary risk by bringing you there."

She shook her head. "Back in Konoha, that man wouldn't have taken half as much effort for me to beat. I would never have let my skills weaken like they are now."

"You're too hard on yourself, princess. This lifestyle doesn't exactly offer free time to practice. But we'll train more often then, if you want."

She bit her lip in thought. After all that training they had done in the weeks she was at the Akatsuki hideout, and her skill had disappeared again in less time. The idea of being so weak that she needed to be constantly rescued was just not something she wanted to let happen.

There were less people around now as they got further away from the village.

"Hey, Pein, how much do you think you're worth in the bingo books?"

He thought for a bit. "Well, Achizu said something about me kidnapping you, didn't he? Stealing a kunoichi from one of the Five Nations - that'll definitely up the amount. I'd say you could probably buy a small village with the price on my head."

"You sound so proud of that."

"Well, civilized people can brag about their income. Outcasts try to outdo each other in bounties."

"You're absolutely crazy, I hope you know that."

He just laughed.

"I prove my point," she teased.

When they were out of sight of anyone, Pein motioned to her and they jumped up into the trees. Their little break wasn't long enough, and immediately she missed civilization. She'd take annoying waitresses over sleeping on the forest ground any day.

* * *

Three days later, Sakura's ears were assaulted by the dull roar of a crowded market place, nestled next to Fuchiyo Port. Traders calling out their wares, women laughing, children shouting as they expertly ran around the shoppers, sometimes picking a pocket from a distracted adult as they played. And above all else, the endless calling of seagulls as they circled and dove around docked ships.

Sakura gaped at the scene all around her. She had never seen so many people before, not even during the last New Year's Festival, when all of Konoha had gathered into the space of a few blocks. But these people in the crowd around her now were of all types; there were tired beggars sitting on dirty straw mats, there were elegantly dressed aristocrats with their noses in the air, there were grimy and scowling sailors, and everything in between.

The rows of shops and houses on the other side of the market, facing the ocean, were probably once magnificent and welcoming; now they seemed nearly uninhabitable. Dark windows yawned at them as they passed, and were completely ignored by the bustling crowd of the marketplace.

Pulling her scarf tighter over her head, Sakura pushed her way through the bustling crowd. She clutched a bag to her chest and quickly scanned the faces of passerby, cursing herself for losing sight of her guide.

The sun was blocked as a large person stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop short. Sakura looked up to see a fat, scar-faced brute with more than a few missing teeth smiling down at her. She didn't like that smile.

"Hey little cutie," he growled, "You look lost. You need some help, getting around."

Her eye twitched and took a deep breath to calm herself. She could tell instantly that this man was no ninja. His chakra signature was probably as low as his intelligence, judging by his dumb expression.

"No, I'm not lost."

She tried to step around the man, but her way was blocked by another man, gangly and tall with an even uglier face.

"C'mon now, girl, we're gonna show you around. Me and my pal here will take you somewhere fun, okay?"

No one in the bustling crowd had stopped or noticed them, which was probably what the men were relying on to steal her away. Ordinarily, Sakura would have had these idiots on the ground howling in pain like babies by now, but this wasn't the time to start kicking some punk ass. She knew she had to remain out of sight and starting a fight in a busy place like this would blow her cover.

"Get lost," she said firmly, "or I'll have to hurt you."

The two smirked at each other.

"Well, aren't you a lil fireball?" chuckled the big one. "This is gonna be fun."

He reached for her and several things happened at once. Sakura tensed for a punch that wouldn't kill the man, but at least knock him out for a few hours. A black blur passed before her eyes, and both men were suddenly on the ground. Howling in pain like babies.

Sakura lowered her hand and sighed. "That was my idea," she said grudgingly.

Pein smiled and shrugged. "I got to it first. It took me awhile to find you. Where'd you disappear to?"

"I thought I saw somebody I knew, I thought you were following me."

It was true, she could have sworn she saw an old teammate in the crowd, but it turned out to be just a stranger. By the time she had realized it, she had completely lost sight of Pein.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You know we're missing-nins, right?"

"Yup."

"And you know that if somebody recognized us, they'd have to report us, right?"

". . . Yup."

"And you went to go _find_ somebody who could have turned us in?"

She felt like a child being scolded by a parent.

"If it had been my friend, I wanted to see them one last time!" she argued, "I wouldn't have let them see me."

"Sakura . . ."

"I know, it was stupid. I'm sorry I keep making mistakes."

"It's fine - you know I just want to keep you safe," he said, catching her in a hug. He kissed her forehead. "Once we're across the water, things will be a lot easier."

"Yeah, and you won't have to wear that disguise – oh, wait. You're not wearing one."

"Funny. You ready to go?"

At this town, Pein had decided not to wear a disguise. He told Sakura that even if he was seen leaving at this port, it would be a good thing, because that would be proof that they had really left for good. He had insisted Sakura take on a disguise anyway, but she refused. As long as he was putting himself at risk, she would do the same. So they remained out of disguise other than shabby traveling clothes and a scarf over her head, hoping they didn't run into someone who would recognize him. But Sakura knew it would be that person who would be in danger, not Pein.

He was leading her through the crowd in a beeline towards their rendezvous spot, walking like he owned the place. He appeared not to notice the stares he got as he passed. People took in his piercings, his orange hair and ringed eyes, and tended to fall over themselves to avoid him. Sakura, trailing behind, had an excellent view of this, and it kept her entertained as they traveled across the oceanfront and around seller's carts.

Pein led her away from the marketplace, where the bustling shops gave way to smaller, wind-worn wooden houses and the huge ships along the port to their right were replaced with small dingys and rowboats. They were free from the crowd, although the streets were still far from empty. Pein stopped when they reached an old wooden shack that leaned shakily against a taller abandoned house.

"This is where we're going?" she asked. Besides looking as though the shack roof would collapse in a strong burst of wind, there didn't seem to be anything special about it. How could this place be the key to getting away?

"Trust me, princess," he said as they stepped up to the door. "The old woman here is named Yukai, and she's helped me do this before."

He touched the door and it swung in with a lazy creak. The shack was dark inside, darker than Sakura expected it to be. It took her eyes a minute to adjust before she saw a room lined in thick tapestries, which blocked out the light. From floor to ceiling there were trinkets and statues, paintings and artifacts, of gold and gems and sometimes in incredibly intricate patterns. The scent of incense hit them like a wall and she wrinkled her nose at the sharp smell. The room was silent but for the faint tinking of bells from a turning object in the corner.

"I've been waiting for you," came a gravely voice. Sakura peered closer to see an old woman sitting on the floor, wrapped up in heavy blankets and rags. The daylight seeping in from the open door barely lit a face lined in deep wrinkles, smiling a toothless grin at them. A long smoking pipe dangled from the corner of her mouth. Pein stepped closer into the room and Sakura let the door slip shut behind her. Immediately the room darkened again to an uncomfortable level.

"Please, sit down," the woman said. At that moment several candles in the room sparked to life, and Sakura noticed the two cushions lying on the floor before them. She followed Pein in kneeling down on the soft fabric. The old woman's beady black eyes were locked on Pein.

"Good afternoon, Yukai-san," he said. "You look well."

Yukai barked a laugh. "Don't try and flatter me, Nagato, I know why you're here."

"Then you must have an answer for us," he said.

She took a long drag of the pipe and sat for a moment. She was so still that if it weren't for the thin line of white smoke rising from her lip, she could have passed for dead.

"The company you keep has changed drastically," she said. "Where is are your followers? What happened to that powerhungry glint in your eye that drove you overseas?"

Pein looked to Sakura, and she couldn't help but smile.

Yukai finally took notice of her and cleared her throat. "So, you found yourself a new girl. Do you remember how wrecklessly you begged me, the first time you and your friend Konan came for my help? You went on and on about the horrors of this world, and how you could no longer believe in saving it . . . I helped you that time because I felt pity for you and the pain you felt for the loss of your best friend."

Sakura swallowed tightly. Maybe she shouldn't be hearing these things; they seemed too personal for her to know. But she found herself so interested in hearing of Pein's past, the past he never talked about.

"You returned home to this world, and I never questioned why. I assumed you had found what you were looking for there, or maybe you had changed your mind. Then the second time you came to me, you had three men with you. You preached so fervently about the change you'd make in the world, that it was possible to suck the evil out of it like poison from a wound. You wanted to learn from the other world how to start it from scratch and make the utopia you desired for all. At that time your ambitions seemed unstoppable. What happened to those dreams?

The room fell silent. Sakura looked to Pein, but of course, he showed no effect from the old woman's words. But she couldn't pretend she felt nothing. He couldn't now be the same man he had been, otherwise she wouldn't have fallen in love with him. Right?

"My dreams then were skewed by my own selfishness," Pein said determinedly. "My reason now is the best one yet, to find a life where Sakura and I will be safe from the people that want us dead."

"I see. And you, Sakura-san, you want to leave?"

She nodded. "I do. I want to be anywhere with Pein."

Yukai nodded.

"I'll show you the way across the ocean," she said at last. "But it will cost you a great deal."

"We're prepared to pay, of course. Same price?"

"Of course. Who would have guessed I'd have a customer not willing to pay the amount not once, but three times? I certainly never thought so."

Pein cleared his throat and pulled out a small tagged scroll. He placed it on the ground before them. He made a seal to open the scroll, then unrolled it, revealing a pattern of intricate seal markings. He pressed his fingers again the paper and it was suddenly littered in gold coins. The glittering pieces spilled off the edge of the scroll and onto the floor. Sakura gasped in suprise. She had never seem so much money in her life.

Pein was watching the old lady, whose eyes glinted at the sight.

"Here's your payment," he said, "How soon can we leave?"

She took another deep inhale of her pipe. "You have good timing, Nagato. The ship is already here. The crew plans to leave this morning, I think."

"That's lucky for us, then," Pein said. Sakura wasn't so sure it was luck that brought them here on time.

The woman got up with a grunt and led them of the shack. The sudden burst of sunlight when she opened the door blinded Sakura for a second and she almost cursed aloud. Pein chuckled and followed her out the door.

Yukai-san looked even older now that the sunlight illuminated the wrinkles on her face. She was so chubby that she had to waddle to walk, or at least it was the layers of clothes that weighed her down. Without a word from her, they were led down to the water, back towards the marketplace.

Sakura took Pein's hand as they walked along the docks.

"You knew the ship was leaving today, didn't you?" she asked.

He just smirked.

"I should have known. That's why we were running so fast to get here, so we'd make it on time. How'd you know it was today?"

"I have my ways," he said slyly.

"You probably just got a schedule or something."

"Or maybe I'm just psychic."

"Psychic or not, you're still completely nuts. But tell me, how'd you know? I won't let this go."

He sighed dramatically. "Ok. The pricks running this ship haven't changed their schedule in over a decade. They've been coming to this dock every six months, on the first day of the month, for over a decade without fail. I just assumed they were still on schedule, that's all."

"Ah. So the mysterious Pein's ways aren't so mysterious after all."

"Hey, I'm plenty mysterious! I just like to hide it to not make you feel bad."

She play punched him. "Well, you're not half as creepy as that old lady, at least. She said she knew we were coming."

"I can't explain that one. Yukai-san even creeps me out sometimes. But she's harmless."

"Keep up!" Yukai barked from up ahead. They picked up the pace as not to lose her in the crowd.

She led them past the largest and most able-looking steamships, then the smaller fishing boats, then the even smaller sailboats. They stopped one of the last boats on the dock, a small sail ship with a half dozen gruff sailors loading crates and barrels. Some of them looked like they'd been born on the sea, with worn clothes and hardened faces that showed true experience with their vessel.

"This is it, the _Katsurou_," Pein said, motioning to the faded green title on the side.

The _Katsurou_ was much larger than a fishing boat, but it had nothing on the large luxury cruise ships and ferries they'd passed by. It was maybe 200 feet in length, with three tall masts towering over the smaller boats around them. Although it was a ship outdated by a decade or so, there wasn't anything particularly unusual about it. Besides the fact that it looked far too small to carry passengers farther than what should be possible.

"This is what we're taking across the ocean?" Sakura asked as she looked it up and down. "This doesn't look like it could last a storm, let alone a trip across the ocean."

"Don't worry, it's a safe ship."

"Aw, crap. Is this the ship you took last time?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Pein, that was like ten years ago! How can it still be safe?"

He smiled. "Don't you trust me to know these things, princess? On this ship, we're much safer than any other ship in the dock."

"Well, it's a pretty big dock," she mumbled, and she follwed him to the loading plank, where Yukai was speaking with a fat bearded man carrying a clipboard. He seemed irritated as he whispered with her and glanced over at them, but that might have just been the way he always looked. Finally he nodded to Yukai and sauntered up to them.

"Well, if it isn't our yung Kitsuto-san," he said as he grasped Pein's hand to shake. His gruff voice was muffled under his beard, but it wasn't unkind. "Neva' wulda thought I'd see you agin. You two'r lookin' for a ride?"

"We've already paid Yukai-san the cost for the trip. You'll get your share once we reach the other side," Pein said.

"I know yer good for it. But ta price's gone up quite a bit, I'm afraid." he said. "It's a 30% increase since you were last on this ship, my friend."

"That's fine. Asuto-san, this is Sakura. She's taking the trip, too."

He turned to her and his face lit up. "My, aren't you a pretty one. First that cute blue-haired gal and now this lil doll? You sure know to pick 'em, Kitsuto-san. Hey, how's that other one doin' anyhow? T'was such a spirit-lifter, havin' that gal onboard."

"Konan passed away a month ago," Pein said evenly. As if it wasn't his closest old friend he was speaking of. Sakura tightened her grip on his hand. She knew it was partly her fault for the woman's death, too.

"Ah, I'm sorry ta hear that. It's a rough world, ov'r here, I'll tell ya that. It's no great sorrow that we get ta leave it."

Sakura felt a pang of regret for leaving her home behind. She looked back across the marketplace, a place she never knew about and people she would never know. There was so much in this world that she hadn't seen, and there was so much she loved about it, and here she was leaving it behind forever.

Pein saw her looking away and leaned down. "You alright, princess?"

His eyes were sincere as they searched hers, and in a second Sakura realized that he was probably feeling the same way she was. Yes, he'd been gone before, but this place was his home, too. He was leaving it for her sake, as she was for his. They were in this together.

She nodded determinedly. "I'm doing great. Let's get going!"

"That's the spirit, missie," Asuto laughed. "My men are just finishing loadin' up. You two can show yerselves onboard, and make yerselves at home. My ship is yer ship afta all!"

They walked toward the ship and Sakura felt her heart pounding in excitement. This was it, the very moment where there was no turning back. From here on, she had no idea what to expect, and everything would change. Well, everything except for the one constant in her life now.

She looked back across the market again and then above it, towards the hills they had crossed. Far beyond those hills Konoha still lay, safe and unchanging as ever. She took a deep breath before turning her back to it. Pein held out his hand to help her step aboard and she smiled up at him, no longer feeling anxious.

***


	3. Chapter 3 In the Storm

Sakura looked back across the market again and then above it, towards the hills they had crossed. Far beyond those hills Konoha still lay, safe and unchanging as ever. She took a deep breath before turning her back to it. Pein held out his hand to help her step aboard and she smiled up at him, no longer feeling anxious.

He led her across the ship and below deck, where the sunlight didn't reach and a dark hallway loomed ahead and behind them. A half-dozen heavy doors stood on either side of the hall. They walked to the very end and he pulled open the last door on the left.

"Here's where we stay," he said, ushering her inside.

It was nothing like she expected – the room looked more like a hotel room than a ship's cabin. The ceiling was high, the walls painted white, and in the center was a large bed that looked like a little piece of heaven. She couldn't help but jump on the mattress with an excited yelp.

"Kami! This is so nice!" she sighed as she stretched out and her body sank into the soft blanket. When Pein didn't answer she popped her head back up to see him standing in the doorway with a strangely happy expression.

"What're you doing over there?" she asked.

He tossed the bags to the side and pulled himself over her.

"I'm just admiring the view," he said just before kissing her.

His hand ran down her body but paused for a second.

"What's wrong?" she lifted her head. He reached up and quickly pulled off the scarf that had hid her noticeable hair, which now fell in pink locks around her face.

"You're right," she said with a sigh, "That thing looked ridiculous on me."

The cloth was red with little white swirls on it, and had caught her eye among trinkets in a small wagon owned by a traveling salesman. One evening when their guard was down he had caught sight of them bathing in a river, and although Sakura was too embarrassed to speak, Pein was forced to bribe him to keep quiet. The salesman had been so grateful for the amount of money that he let Sakura to pick out one item from his shabby assortment of goods. A scarf was a poor trade for the bribe, but Sakura had a feeling it might come in useful. Right now, though, it was simply a reminder of their arduous journey up to this point.

The scarf was tossed to the floor as her arms wrapped around him.

A loud wailing horn had her jump up and clutch onto Pein. He laughed as she looked around the room wildly.

"Princess, calm down, it's only the ship's horn," he said as he pried her fingers off his arm. "You have to realize now that we're not on the run anymore, we're safe now."

"Yeah, safe," she repeated, embarrassed of her panic. But were they really safe? Weren't they still on the run?

"Hey," he turned her chin towards him, "Don't be so upset, we're leaving now. Do you want to go up on deck to watch?"

She nodded. "Definitely!"

They climbed upstairs and weaved around the sailors, bustling to ready the ship to cast off. Weathered white sails had been let down, caught tight in the wind and giving the ship a new life that it didn't have before. All the cargo on board had been tied down, the ropes to the dock undone, and just as Sakura's hands touched the stern railing, the oars jutting from the sides dipped into the water, giving the _Katsurou_ an initial push into the right direction. The wind was in their favor and within seconds, the noise and bustle of Fuchiyo Port faded away. The town shrunk before her eyes, and she realized the irony in the fact that the last piece of her world she would ever see was a place she'd never known existed.

She drank in the sight as long as possible. Watching the world she knew float away forever wasn't something she'd ever forget. She leaned into Pein as they gazed out until the last speck of land disappeared into the vast flat sea.

The scent of sea water faded away the farther out they got, or maybe she was just getting used to it. She closed her eyes to enjoy the feel of the strong wind whipping around her. The weightless feeling reminded her of the countless long runs she had taken through the trees of Konoha with Team 7, then Team Kakashi. It had been a long time since she had gone on a mission; she had begun to take her medical studies more seriously, and the boys had eventually surpassed her so clearly that it would have been foolish to keep her on the team. Then they had joined ANBU, as customary for all the more skilled shinobi, and that was a level she could never have hoped to reach.

"What are you thinking about, princess?"

She smiled sadly. "Just thinking about Konoha, I guess. I have so many memories there, and I'm lucky most of them were good ones. "

"You're going to miss it, that's only natural."

She bit her lip. "Yeah, I know." But knowing that didn't make the ache any better. She would have to suck it up, because the rewards of leaving were much greater than the sacrifice.

Pein kissed the top of her head. "Congratulations, Sakura. We're finally free."

It was true. They were gone from their enemies, gone from the troubles, for good. It was exhilarating, and reminded her of what they had interrupted.

Leaning up to Pein's ear, she whispered, "Let's get back to the room. The first thing we have to do is christen this ship."

The sudden wide grin that split his face had her laughing hard.

"Let's get started, then!"

He picked her up and flew down the stairs in one leap, carrying her past crew members who stared with smirks on their dirty faces. The door flew open from Pein's doing and she was tossed onto the bed.

"Aren't we excited?" she teased, as he climbed over her.

"You know I'm crazy about you," he said, kissing her neck. She felt her body reacting already, as it always did around him.

His fingers grazed over her shirt before tucking in to hold her side. They lowered to her navel just as his mouth latched onto her neck and she arched into him longingly, needing him to make her feel again how he did when they were together – safe, protected, loved like never before.

The tickle on her skin was his breath on her shoulder, he gasped when she touched him a certain way. She kept her voice quiet, softening the moans that escaped her lips so no one else would hear, but not knowing if she really cared. After all, wasn't it more fun to know that maybe the crew did hear?

Forget being gentle – they cast off that act a long time ago, and now each knew that the other wasn't made of glass. Sakura allowed her nails to scrape down his back when he sank his teeth into her shoulder.

Clothes were pulled off and thrown aside, and Pein's hard body was flush to her own. Soon the only sound in the room was the heavy panting of both lovers as their bodies moved, broken only by the occasional strangled moan from him or a heated gasp from her as the pleasure got too great. She shifted to move above him, resting on him and guiding their rhythm herself, taking control from the man who was always in control of his life.

She bit her lip and allowed the burning pleasure burst within her, until she heard his irresistible voice gasping her name. Her eyes flew open and she got a glimpse of the powerful man beneath her with more emotion etched on his pierced face than he would ever willingly allow another person to see. She loved that he let his guard down for her, she loved the way he would touch her when they were intimate, everything about him made her confident in herself and her love for him.

XoX

A few hours later, both shinobi were still on the bed that ended up being far too soft for a month of sleeping on the ground. Sakura absently watched Pein sleeping next to her, enjoying the feel of a down filled mattress and soft sheets. These sailors really knew how to live, she mused, considering how shabby the ship looked from the outside. Almost as if it was a disguise to prevent people from realizing how sophisticated the _Katsurou_ was.

A sudden loud rumble made her jump up, elbowing Pein's head in the process. She clung onto him as the entire room started to shake and they were tossed off the bed into the wall. Both landed on their feet and wavered, getting used to the new momentum of the ship.

"Damn this stupid ship! It's gonna give me a heart attack!"

Pein mumbled an answer as he rubbed his forehead.

"Did I hit you?"

"Baby, even when you're not trying to punch, you still hurt me," he joked.

She smiled apologetically.

The scene out the window had changed. Where there was a flat ocean slowly passing, now it blurred by with sprays of waves. She ran over to look out.

"How fast are we going?"

"Huh?"

She had to talker louder over the engine. "How fast?"

"Captain Asuto once told me it went over 45 knots."

"Is that fast?"

He shrugged. "Fast enough."

The only other real ship she had ever been on was the huge steamship she had taken years ago on a mission to the Cresent Moon; yet that didn't go nearly as fast, and other than a smallish river ferry in the Rock, she never knew another boat to have an engine.

She bit her lip and listened to the new hum of the room. Already, she felt ignorant to the things of this world, and all she had seen so far was a ship. She hadn't let Pein tell her what to expect when they got there, not that he'd pushed it. Was it so bad to want to experience the trip like he had for the first time, without knowing anything about it? A small part of her was still afraid of what she'd find, but she trusted him to tell her if there was any danger.

As if he could read her mind, Pein gently took her hand and kissed her head. "You'll get used to the engine, princess. Cmon back to bed."

She eyed the egg growing on his forehead and winced on his behalf. "First, let me take care of that bruise."

XoXoXoX

A warm breeze passed over the rooftops of Konoha, through the center of town where a lone building stood over the rest. Atop the Hokage's Tower stood a lone young man, his back against the red railing and his face to the sky. Eyes closed and soaking in the sun, Naruto was enjoying the quiet afternoon as one of the few days off he got lately.

The calm and harmony of Konoha at peace was all he really needed in life. How could he ever want anything else? If only everybody could feel the same way, he wouldn't have to miss people so much. But that just wasn't the way things were.

Another slight breeze, but it wasn't from the wind. Footsteps approached.

"Hey, Sasuke," he said without opening his eyes.

His blinded best friend joined him at the railing.

"Your operation's tomorrow, isn't it?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah."

"Nervous?"

Sasuke snorted. "Of course not."

"You sure? Tsunade said it was like intense surgery . . ."

"Who do you think I am? "

He laughed. Typical Sasuke. "My bad."

They stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Of course the Uchiha was never much of a talker, and by now Naruto knew that if he had something to say, he would spit it out eventually.

Sure enough, he eventually cleared his throat.

"So, you and Hinata still a thing?"

Naruto started to nod, then caught himself. "Yeah," he said.

"Hn. Who would have thought you and her would end up together? She never said a word to me until you started seeing her. Even now I think she avoids me."

"Yeah, I think she might be scared of you, I don't blame her. But I know what you mean, I always thought I'd be with Sakura by now."

Sasuke laughed. "You and Sakura? In your dreams, teme, she never liked you like that."

"Well it's not like _you_ could get her, anyway. By the time you pulled your head out of your ass and came back, she was already all over Pein."

"Yeah, well he can have her. Life's a hassle enough without that girl following me around like a puppy like she used to."

Naruto chuckled. As much as Sasuke tried to hide it, he really did miss her, Naruto was sure of it. After all, he had put up with her 'following him around like a puppy' for years. Nowadays, he went through girls like he went through hair gel. And despite the lowered hitai-ate that was blatant proof of his missing eyes, the whole infamous-bad-boy-prodigy-come-home reputation was apparently irresistible to women all over the village.

"I have to talk to you . . . after the surgery." Sasuke said quietly.

"Sure thing. Tsunade gave me tomorrow off, too, so I can be there when you wake up."

"Great. Like the first thing I want to see again is your goofy face."

"You'll be honored."

"I'll be puking."

Naruto smiled to hide his concern about his friend. Without his eyes, Sasuke had been a better person. There was no talk of his family's legacy or vengeance, of Hebi or Akatsuki. Would these new, implanted eyes bring the old Sasuke back?

XoXoXoX

Time passed slowly on the _Katsurou_, and after a short exploration of the small ship, there wasn't much to do. But Sakura knew she couldn't have been happier. Full days passed by and she and Pein hardly left the bed, and even the questionable salty meals served to them by the crew chef tasted better than a feast.

The crew was friendly to the two and mostly stayed out of their way. They seemed to be busy with their own cleaning and upkeep of the ship, which appeared only to be old and wooden on the outside. Only the captain really talked to them occasionally, and through him Sakura discovered that the ship, making its trip to Fuchiyo Port twice a year, picked up great amounts of spices and random other foods and even some sake. In return, they delivered a certain delicacy of fish that Sakura could never have afforded at home. Apparently the traders the captain dealt with thought he and his ship were from some city in the south.

"The world never seemed so big," Sakura admitted to Pein one night, as they sat on the deck and watched the moon. "I guess I could only appreciate that once I left home."

"I don't know if it makes you feel any better, but this new world is even bigger than ours was."

"That just makes me feel smaller."

"Hm, I wish I could help. Do you want to hear about what it's like yet?"

She shook her head. "Of course not. I want to see this place like you did, the first time you went there, without knowing what to expect."

He looked around. "Well, we're on the right ship, that was step one."

The sea was endless all around them, and she was sick of the sight.

"Did you know how long the trip would be?"

"My first trip, I'd ask Captain Asuto how long it would be, and he always answered, 'too long'."

"But you've taken the trip before. It's been two weeks and I'm tired of looking at blue and bluish blue and greenish blue."

"Ok, you win. It's only a few more days."

Her mouth dropped. "Really?"

"I'm sure of it. I asked the captain this morning."

She gave him a giant hug. "You're the best."

The storm came out of nowhere. One minute the sky was clear and pale but for a line of dark clouds looming far off in the distance. The next, the clouds had come upon them, covering the moon like an ominous sheet.

A soft rumble of thunder introduced the rain. Within seconds they were drenched in a cold downpour that had both shivering to the bone. Pein wrapped his cloak around Sakura and they ran towards the lower deck.

The sky turned black and Sakura paused to watch the storm. Rain hammered all around them, broken only by magnificent crashes of thunder. A white bolt of lightning split the sky almost above them, and struck near the front of the ship so close it could have hit. The engine roared, sputtered, then died to silence. The lights went out around them, and suddenly it was just them and the storm.

Pounding up the stairs was all the crew who had been down below sleeping or eating, and they ran to their different stations, running around and working like clockwork. Sakura and Pein were pushed to the side in the crew's rush to protect the ship.

The vessel lost speed quickly. A few waves later, and it came to a complete stop.

Captain Asuto appeared at the stern and shouted out orders as the wind picked up and its howls became deafening. Lightning lit up the deck and every man on it scrambling to tie down crates and secure the sails, which had been lowered since the beginning of the trip. The entire vessel rocked from side to side; apparently the waves were getting fierce.

Sakura used chakra to keep her feet on the now slick and slippery floor. She grabbed onto the railing to the stairs and reached for Pein's hand. But his back was to her now, and Captain Asuto was running for him.

"Kitsuto-san!" he yelled to Pein, "Help us win the ship back and I'll cut yer fee in half!"

The ship creaked loudly and even the captain lost his footing. The floor dropped to starboard and half the crew began sliding down towards the black sea.

Pein shot forward and grabbed the captain, pulling him to the railing alongside Sakura.

"Don't worry about the money, old man," he said as he glanced to make sure Sakura was safe before taking off again. He jumped up on the port side and made a seal; all the men began gravitating back up the ship towards him. They each took hold of something and tried their best to get the ship upright again, but their efforts were useless. The wind steered the assaulting rain every which way and the bow which rose and dipped with the black waves. It seemed the ship was completely taken by the storm.

"Hold on tight!" Pein yelled, although his voice was muffled by the wind. She wasn't sure if he was talking to her or to the crew, but a second later a sudden burst of nin smoke appeared off the sinking side of the ship and something gigantic appeared in the sky. It dropped into the water, making a wave so big it hit the ship and forced it back to level.

Sakura peered over a crate and through the rain she could make out a giant green turtle, its shell bobbing above the water and a long neck that was studded with black bars. Another bolt of lightning cracked and she saw its head, round and complete with ringed spiral eyes. Something creaked on board the ship, and the floor lurched under her. A wave hit so roughly the crew was tossed into the air, out into the black sea that would surely swallow them whole. Pein was summoning smaller creatures left and right which dove into the water to retrieve them.

The engine started suddenly, yet before it could even push the ship a shower of wood and metal exploded from the stern. She swore she saw bodies flying by the light of the sudden fire billowing from the engine room. A second explosion rang in her ears and it took her a second to get over the shock. Freezing cold water filled her lungs and threw her body around with the waves. She didn't know which way was up and her lungs screamed for air. She remembered her training and held her breath, keeping still to allow her body to find up.

It must have been a few minutes later when her head broke the surface and she gasped for air. The rain was still pounding and the storm still around them – but where was the boat?

She tried to get her bearings as she gulped in air to her burning lungs. With some effort, chakra poured to her feet and she tried to climb onto the water surface. She stood shakily for a moment on the churning water before a wave formed behind her and tumbled over her head, tossing her back under.

Drawing chakra wouldn't work, she knew, the water was too violent. This was different than walking up a tree; the tree never tried to throw you back to the ground.

Over there! There was a black speck in the distance. Had the ship really gotten so far? She took a breath and began a steady breaststroke in that direction, having no idea if she could make it before she passed out.


	4. Chapter 4 Without a Name

Please review and please don't hate me for mean slow updates! I'm so busy with medical classes.. sigh. Your reviews really cheer me up so please review, and I hope you like it!

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Chapter 4

***

_Without a Name_

***

Sakura woke with a start and an upturned stomach. A shallow breath made her gag and she turned over and threw up salty warm water. Her stomach emptied the gross contents quickly. She rested her head down and took a few deep breaths, but with them came the pounding of a vicious headache. What was wrong with her? Had she been drinking?

She rubbed her temples slowly and her fingers touched a sticky liquid. Blood.

Why was her forehead bleeding? She must have hit her head . . . but her groggy mind couldn't recall anything.

Something was very wrong, she realized. There was an uncomfortable aura around her that she was in an unfamiliar place. Her elbows were resting on something more giving than a floor, but it was definitely not any bed.

A faint crashing sound registered in her mind. It took her a minute to think.

A cool, salty wind blew past and it finally clicked.

Was she on a _beach_?

She forced open her tired eyes to take in a dark starry sky and a sea reflecting the white light of the moon. She was lying on the cool sand of a shore, and that familiar sound was the soft crashing of waves only meters from her bare feet. Large dark rocks were scattered around the dunes, so large they blacked any sight beyond them. Uphill and behind her, across from the sea, was the mouth of a thick forest with trees towering high above, their full boughs creating a black canopy that blocked out even the smallest hint of light. It definitely wasn't the most welcoming atmosphere to wake up to, especially considering she was dressed in only an oversized gray T-shirt. She shivered and sat up.

There wasn't a single sign of life around her. Except for the waves, which weren't helping her headache any. There weren't even any birds, let alone people. She began to panic.

She knew she had no idea why she was where she was, and she had never seen this beach before. She was . . . lost? Nausea hit her like a punch to the stomach and she leaned to her side to throw up more sea water.

When she was done, and sure her stomach really was empty this time, she wiped her mouth and rolled over to lay back on the soft sand. But her mind couldn't rest, despite the exhaustion that wracked her body. What had she been doing to fall asleep on a beach?

She pushed herself to try to get up but let out a short howl of pain. Her limbs were screaming like she's just run a marathon. Breaths came out labored as she looked about her to find some help, or a clue to where she was. But there was nothing.

Her headache worsened when she thought too hard. Everything was fuzzy, like there was a thin veil between her mind that was trying to think, and the part that knew the answers. But it was almost too bothersome to try, in the state she was in. The night was comforting and peaceful, and the lull of the waves had her exhausted mind finally drifting back into sleep.

She woke a second time to a grating noise in the distance. It was coming closer fast.

Nothing was in sight but the sound soon became loud, then deafening. It beat inside her mind in tune to the pounding of her headache. She clutched her head.

"Stop!" she yelled to the sky, and jumped to her feet.

At that second a huge gray machine came whirling overhead. Its sides glistened in the moonlight and the arms at the top of it turned so quickly her eyes could hardly catch their movement. It was this ugly machine making the horrible noise, but the long thing flew past without even slowing. The sound lessened as it put distance between them.

It was quiet around her again but for her rapid breaths and pounding heart. She didn't move again until she was sure it was gone. The beach was quiet again.

She frowned when she realized how she was crouched – hands clasped at her chest and two fingers on each pointed straight up.

Why was she standing like that? She released her hands, and caught a glimpse of red on one. It was blood from touching her head. She tapped her forehead gently. It stung, but it didn't feel like a big gash and she doubted it was too bad of a cut, considering she was still conscious.

At any rate, she knew she couldn't stay on the beach all night. For all she knew, that metallic thing would come back.

There was an opening in the rocks to her left, but that was where the machine was headed, so she chose right. Stepping up a cluster of smaller boulders, she pulled herself up to one of the larger ones. Her joints ached from lying uncomfortably for so long, and she worked to stretch her muscles out to relieve them. But the largest boulder she could climb onto wasn't nearly as tall as the trees, which could have given her a good enough view of the area around her. If only she could climb those monstrous things, but they were fall too tall and straight, and the branches didn't begin until far above her head.

As she thought, it wasn't any use to look out. Although the almost full moon provided her plenty of light, she could only see that there was nothing but a stretch of beach to one side. In the other direction, the land sloped up to a cliff, cutting off the forest before plummeting to the sea.

She had to head up the cliff.

She leapt down from the high boulder and landed on her feet in the sand. It would be hard to walk all that distance through the woods in her bare feet, she realized, but she had no choice. For the first time, she took real notice of her clothing. If she didn't know any better, she would think she was wearing a nightgown, because the Tshirt came down so low. There was a small red symbol on the front that meant nothing to her. She sniffed it lightly and it reeked of salt water. It must have been wet earlier, but at least it was dry now.

The cool air turned cold in the shade of the forest as she began under the trees. The sand quickly changed into rock and rough grass and began to take her uphill. Keeping an eye on the forest, she occasionally looked out to sea, where the bright moon's reflection scattered across the dark empty water. She stumbled as she trekked up towards that starry sky, all the while the thick forest reaching out towards the steepening edge. Eventually she had to climb over boldly jutting tree roots and under wild branched to continue on her unmade path.

She walked until her dirty feet began to bleed from the sticks and rocks underfoot. A few dark birds perched on the branches high above her seemed to silently laugh at her plight. If only she could fly from branch to branch as they did, she could save herself from this effort. But that was impossible, and she was stuck walking until she really began to question whether she would reach the cliff at all.

. There was nothing around her but earth and plant, brown and green, and as time began to grow meaningless she began to panic. Was she going in circles?

A loud growl. She froze.

"Who's there?" she whispered.

Foliage shook as something big moved close by. Very slowly, she turned, but she saw only the same empty darkness since she'd entered the forest. It growled again, and her legs moved before she had time to react. All exhaustion disappeared as she took off faster, not stopping to find out if she was being chased. The idea of being caught between a beast and a cliff was not something she could let happen.

The undergrowth flew by in blurs as she leapt over fallen logs and darted under low branches, but the damn place was like a maze.

Suddenly the green ended and the sky was all around her.

Her stomach dropped when for a split second she thought she was falling. Her arm instinctively reached for a last tree branch and she pulled herself up to safety, perching gracefully atop and snapping her head back to listen for the animal. She didn't even breathe. There was no sound at all, and she let herself relax again and turn her back on the wall of trees.

The ground wasn't far below her; the huge fall she expected would have only been a few feet. The forest had somehow stopped growing to form a wide semicircle of rough and uneven grassy land, and along the edge as the cliff flattened out in a mass of dark rocks, there was nothing but the velvet sky.

It was a breathtaking view, yet she was aware that had she been running only a few meters to the side she might have tripped right off the cliff and down to the rocks and waves. The idea made her shudder.

Something moved from the corner of her eye - it was a man in a black suit standing near the edge of the cliff. He had been standing stock still, and blended in like another tree trunk or rock. Sharp silver eyes widened at her and a handsome face frowned in an unspoken question as she bashfully crept down from her perch on the branch.

She paused for a moment, realizing fully how weird she must look to this stranger. She was barefoot and in a T-shirt, looking exactly like she had walked though miles of thick forest, and she had just leapt almost straight up onto a tree branch to evade a small fall. Her heart pounding, she waited for him to speak. When he continued to gape at her, she forced a small smile and stepped forward.

"Um . . . hello," she said, mentally kicking herself for a lack of cleverness. "Do you think you could help me out? I think I'm lost. Well . . . I'm definitely lost."

He didn't change his expression and she half expected him not to answer. He pulled his hands out of his pocket and scratched his chin, as if trying to figure her out.

"That was a nice move you pulled," he said after a moment.

"Um . . . oh, that." She realized he was talking about jumping into the tree, and breathed a laugh. "I thought I was gonna go down the cliff or something, it was just a reaction. I'm just lucky I didn't fall over."

If he didn't believe her, he didn't say so. His eyes swept her up and down. "Where did you come from?"

"Just the beach, down over there."

"And before that?"

". . . I don't know." She shook her head. "Everything's just blank before that. I was on the beach, and some big metal thing flew over me, but that's all I know."

"Big metal thing . . ." he mumbled to himself, as if trying to figure that out.

"You run through the middle of the woods at night a lot?"

"I really hope not."

"In pajamas? And barefoot?"

She sighed. "Apparently, it's the best way to go."

He smiled a cute, lopsided sort of smile and walked away from the cliff edge to her. "I can't tell if you're interesting, or just crazy."

"Probably both," she grinned.

A cold breeze from the ocean made her shiver. She hadn't realized how cold it had gotten since she was on the beach. Suddenly she remembered she wasn't wearing a bra and she crossed her arms quickly.

"Here," the man pulled off his suit jacket, "Put this on, you must be freezing."

"Thanks but I'm not –" as if on cue, she sneezed.

He stepped close enough to drape the jacket over her shoulders. She resisted the urge to flinch away, but let him rest it gently on her. It was still warm from his body and she nestled into it.

The distance had her fooled at first sight; he wasn't as old as she first thought. She could see from the moonlight that he couldn't have been more than a few years older than she was, yet his strong features were marked with signs of experience and worry, as if he had lived through much more than he should have at his age. He pulled at the tie of his shirt and waited for her to look back up at him.

"Is that better?" he looked genuinely concerned, and she could have melted under the gaze of those silvery eyes.

"Yes, thank you . . . I can't believe I'm lost."

He smiled again, and she felt that no other smile could be as rewarding as his.

"Yeah, you mentioned that," he said. "No one wanders around Kabuki forest unless they're lost or they have a death wish. But let me take you back to my place, we can get you some food and something warmer to wear. Could you hand me my keys? They're in the left outside pocket."

She reached into the pocket and felt something pointy and metal. The little collection of silver and black shapes jingled as she pulled it out and gave it to him.

He pressed a small red button on one piece and tucked the keys into his pants pocket as if he had accomplished something.

"Thank you so much, you're being so kind to me and I don't even know you."

He put up a hand.

"I'm sorry, it was rude of me to not introduce myself. My name is Kiamatsu Kane." He looked to her expectantly.

She tried to answer but her voice got caught in her throat. After a short pause, she realized why it wasn't coming out. It was such a strange feeling, that she didn't recognize it at first; she didn't know her own name. It wasn't just her name. She didn't know where she was before, nor how she got here. It didn't make any sense.

"Hey, don't you know your own name?"

"I . . . I don't remember," she said quietly.

He could probably see her blush even in the moonlight. If he didn't think she was crazy before, she was sure he did now.

"It's okay," he said with a reassuring smile. "We'll just have to find your name. But let's get you in the car first."

A different kind of growl roared from the forest. It grew louder quickly and she grabbed his shirt with one hand and raised her hand defensively with the other. Some bright light led the sound forward.

Out of the forest zoomed a sleek black machine, with silver glinting off its wheels and curved edges. The light pouring from the front of it lit up the ground like it was day, and it pulled up near to them and stopped, still humming softly.

She swallowed hard.

"Wh . . what's this?"

"It's an Aston Martin DBS," he replied almost mechanically, but not without some adoration. "6 cylinder, v12 engine . . . it's something I'd never give up. Come on, hop in."

He must have misunderstood her question. It was a car, he called it?

He held the door open to her and she peeked inside meekly before sitting down. It was comfortable and quiet and the front was covered in colored dials. The door slammed behind her and what was a spacious interior suddenly turned into a tight trap; she panicked for a moment before his door opened and he got in next to her behind the wheel.

"Good evening, Kiamatsu-san," said a pleasant female voice. Nobody else was in the car, not even behind them. She looked around to check. "Will you be returning to the office tonight?"

"No, I won't, Megame," said Kane, somewhat distracted. "I'm heading . . . to the penthouse. Do NOT, under any circumstances, tell Niko I'm there."

"Yes, sir," replied the voice, followed by a finalizing beep.

He held the wheel and they circled around to enter the forest. The car lights lit up a dirt path with a low ceiling of branches. They picked up speed and she felt herself relax to the hum of the machine, now somewhat comforting to her.

She woke with a start and looked around at the night scene blurring by. It took her a minute to recognize the man next to her, and she suddenly felt like crying from exhaustion. What was his name again?

"Oh hey, you're awake. You weren't asleep long, we're almost out of the forest."

"Kane-san?" she began when she remembered his name.

"Mhm?"

"I can trust you, right?"

"Of course you can, sweetie. I'm a good guy. And you can just call me Kane, don't worry about being polite. Hey look – " he motioned out the front window.

Shivers went up her spine.

The forest was opening up ahead and just beyond it, a city. No, not just a city. A humongously tall, neon-lit, glistening city. Silver buildings that shone with scattered lights reached up to touch the sky, bright signs splayed out pictures and names that changed and moved, visible even from this distance. The entire thing stretched across miles of land in either direction, a chunk of twisted and glistening metal stamped on the face of the forest. It was metallic and artificial, yet so beautiful.

She took a deep breath. Something about seeing this city gnawed at the back of her mind, as if she was looking at something she shouldn't be. But that was ridiculous.

"Does it look familiar?" he asked hopefully.

She shook her head. "What is it?"

"That's Akirasawa, my lovely home city."

They pulled discretely onto a paved road and then onto a larger one that was empty and dark. They approached a tall wall with a gate that opened for them and then they were inside the city. It rose up all around them and they pulled onto a wide street with hundreds of other cars, all beaming red and white lights and whizzing around them.

Her heart raced as she watched the machines gracefully weave around each other yet never hit, and there were people walking around under the street lights and she looked up and realized there were even more streets above them.

The city was even larger than it seemed from far away; the dark glass of the towers around them rose high enough to scrape the sky, and the sea of neon lights and signs that covered them were neverending.

They drove in silence for a while as she took in all the strange sights around her. It was surprisingly comfortable sitting next to Kane, and she appreciated that he didn't feel the need to fill the silence with words.

He drove them to the higher street where the tops of the buildings could be seen. One skyscraper in particular rose up above all the others. It stuck out not because of its height, but because it was one of the few buildings not covered in gaudy lights and advertisements. Only white lights outlined its silver frame. Its shining sides served to reflect the city around it, and at the very top stood a kanji logo, and under it, "Kiamatsu Inc.".

Why was that name familiar?

"Kane, is that _your_ building?"

He glanced up at it and smiled.

"That's the office. But don't worry, we're not headed there. If I showed my face in that building I'd get dragged to ten different conferences, even at this hour."

"You don't like being there."

"Is it that obvious? I don't hate it, it's just . . . complicated. This place can't seem to run on its own without incredible amounts of pointless meetings that only need me to be there so I can tell them what a great job they're doing, and that yes, I can give them their bonuses and they can tell me what a great job I'm doing. It's all nonsense."

_He was probably trying to get away from his job,_ she thought, _that's why he was alone out there in the forest_.

"I'm not gonna lie, that sounds horrible," she thoughtfully. "I would love to add some input on my job, but, you know."

"You don't remember. Hm. Maybe that's a good thing, if you had a job like mine, at least."

"I don't think I ever owned a whole building."

He laughed. "You never know."

They were silent as she watched life going on outside the car. There were plenty of hotels; if he wanted to, he could have just dropped her off somewhere and been done with it.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this," she began, but he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, doll. What kind of person would I be if I didn't help you out?"

They steered away from the office tower and towards a glass and marble building that wasn't one of the tallest, but still held a good height over the others. A ramp took them underneath the building where Kane waved to a smiling man who opened a gate for them. An entire lot of shiny cars of all colors waited in the silence as they pulled in, and Kane hopped out.

She stared at the door and all its buttons and levers. What were they all for? The door opened and Kane peeked his smiling face in and helped her out.

They headed to a set of doors nearby, which opened immediately to a tiny room with mirrors for walls. Kane guided her in, but she froze when the doors shut. He pressed one of dozens of lit buttons and she racked her mind for a reason for this weird behavior. Was he really just crazy, making her stand in a closet like this? Leave it to her that the first person she met was-

The entire room lurched up. She yelled and grabbed the gold railing and her butt hit the floor but her stomach was turning.

"Are you okay?" Kane rushed to help. "What happened?"

"What's going on?" she moaned.

He looked confused. "We're . . . going up to the penthouse, I figured you knew . . have you never been in an elevator before?"

"A what?"

She realized her stomach felt fine now, even though the room was still moving. The buttons were blinking one by one as they got higher.

He helped her to her feet with a confused expression on his face.

"I'm so sorry, are hurt?"

She shook her head with a grimace. "Just a little embarrassed. I didn't know rooms could fly like this."

He blinked at her and then laughed. "I don't understand you one bit, doll. But I'll figure you out somehow"

The room came to a stop and he held her steady. The doors beeped as they opened and she wondered if everything here made noise. Lights flicked on from the other side.

They stepped directly into a house - it wasn't just a house, but was covered in marble, had lush plants and paintings and sculptures scattered around, and wide open spaces so that glimpses of the city could be seen from around them. There was a low counter of marble separating the lobby from the other rooms, and an indented stream of calmly flowing cerulean water followed a pathway around the entire building, ending in a false waterfall set against the wall of a room with couches and a table.

Kane noticed she had stopped walking and turned back questioningly. Butterflies showed her stomach no mercy at his pale face, finally seen well in the light. She felt ashamed of her own image at the moment, what with only her bare feet, her large shirt, and his jacket. But he smiled as he held out his hand.

"I have a spare room you can stay in – there's a bathroom, you can have a shower if you want, and I'll send in some hot food."

He opened two doors to a large bedroom with a bed that looked worth its weight in gold.

"Make yourself at home, you mind if I leave you alone for a bit?"

"Not at all," was all she could say, and the doors weren't closed behind him before she had sunk down into the bed. It was sent from the gods, she was lying on a cloud. But she didn't want to dirty up Kane's nice bed.

She vaguely registered a bright bathroom and a soothing hot bath and finding a green robe in the towel closet and then a table of delicious-smelling food had been set that she was too tired to touch. From behind the door she could hear Kane's voice, agitated and forced, but there was nobody else in the house. Over the muffled sound she heard the words 'public' and 'control' and the name 'Niko' many times over.

A plan formed in her head to creep to the door to peek out and see what was happening, but she never made it there. She fell asleep her robe on top of the bed, ignoring the extra set of pajamas and her wet hair in exchange for a glorious amount of deep sleep.

***


	5. Chapter 5 Up with Strangers

In the small hours of the morning, just as the sun broke over the sea horizon, a man backtracked his footprints on a beach. The waves broke strongly and pulled across the sand, tapering out around his ankles before retreating. He sighed.

Bright eyes the color of the sunrise scanned the coast as he stepped slowly, no longer hopeful but defeated. He had found no sign of her anywhere – he had searched miles along the beach in both directions and there was simply nothing to prove she had made it to shore. How could he have been so stupid? To think saving a few dozen sailors' lives was anywhere near as important as protecting Sakura . . . he had become weak. He had learned from her to protect life and not end it, and the first time he had a chance to do so, his Sakura was the one to suffer. He had gotten distracted and by the time he noticed she wasn't where he left her, she was long gone.

His gaze finally settled on something he had missed before – a cloth half buried in sand, hiding under the lingering shadow of a boulder. He knelt down and lifted it up gently, not really knowing what he expected to find. The sand released the cloth easily, and it was stiff and dry from being soaked in sea water. He raised it to the soft light of the dawn and froze.

The little white swirls, still visible through a layer of sand, might as well have been dancing in circles, for that was his vision momentarily. Sakura! It was her! That absurd ugly red scarf that came in so useful when they finally went out in public back home, and it was here. That could mean . . . He had seen no footprints, but the waves might have been fierce from the storm and washed away any evidence of her.

It was a small chance, but it was possible. He tucked the scarf into his pocket and threw aside his plans to return to the port town. There was far too much forest for her to get lost in - he had to start searching immediately. He leapt onto a boulder and away into the trees.

***

_A busy, open town. Blue sky, orange roofs. She was running through a crowd to get somewhere important. They were going to be angry, she was definitely late. "Excuse me - I'm sorry!" she called as she accidentally bumped shoulders with a stranger. The woman scowled and Sakura finally decided running the rooftops would save her at least five minutes and many more apologies. She knelt and sprung up over the heads of the crowds, and only a few turned to glance at her. Seeing ninja in action wasn't exactly uncommon in the village, anyway. _

_Making quick work of the slanted and shingled path of roofs, she leapt down only when she reached the outer fringe of the town. There they were - all four of them waiting for her to get going. It wasn't like her to be this late; she would have to apologize to him, the one who always had them waiting . . ._

_What was his name again? She could picture his masked face so clearly in her mind, his wrinkly-eyed smile and the faint scent of dog on him. The others were there too, people she knew well, but just as she neared them they began to drift away. She fought against it to stay with them, she loved those people, but the image wavered and disappeared into nothing before her._

She moaned in denial as she involuntarily woke, and the shock of not knowing where she was threw the dream out of her mind.

Her stomach sank as she sat up in a huge white bed. The room was completely unfamiliar, and she was wearing someone's robe . . . she looked out the window to a city gleaming in the sunlight.

She climbed out of bed and went to the window. Although no sound reached so high, the streets far below were crowded with people and machines. Cars. She had been in one.

_Oh, right._ All of yesterday came flooding back and she relaxed a bit. The beach, the woods, and that man who brought her to safety. What was his name?

Voices floated over from the other side of the door. Looking over, she noticed a set of clothes folded on a table.

She lifted up a pale blue dress laced with intricate designs. It was beautiful but she had never seen it before. A note fell out of the folds. It was written in swooping cursive ink:

_Good morning! Make yourself at home. If you need anything, feel free to call the front desk – I'll be back later on. Kane. _

Kane, that was his name. He was so nice to her, a stranger, and she had nothing to give in return. Well, the least she could do was thank him, and let him be. She'd have to find somewhere to stay, get a job, and figure out what on earth happened to her that made her forget.

She stepped into the bathroom to change into the dress, which fit her wonderfully. It wasn't until she saw the mirror that she realized how ragged she looked. Thankfully, all the supplies she needed were laid out in the bathroom, as if it was made for guests.

A wet tissue wiped away the blood from her forehead, revealing a small cut just below her hairline. It was tender to touch and a bit swollen, but didn't seem serious. She tried running a comb through her hair and did her best with a cruel mass of tangles and some twigs. When she was done, she stepped back and stared at the girl reflected back at her.

She definitely wasn't ugly, sort of pretty, in fact. She was skinny and not very curvy, but lean muscles made her admit she was in good shape. Her eyes were a nice green but looking into them, they gave away no secrets or memories.

A burst of laughter from outside made her jump. There had to be at least a few people outside. She took a deep breath and made her way to the door. She had to leave the comfort of this bedroom eventually; it might as well be now.

She cracked the door open gently and peeked out. There were two men sitting on the white leather couches, and a plain woman in a uniform was serving them plates of food onto a coffee table.

"You're wonderful, Kitai-chan," smiled the one whose face was towards her. He had sunny blonde hair and black eyes, and a playful face that shone as the cover was lifted off his plate. He sniffed it happily.

"Look at this! I could call up the top chef at LeBraun and he wouldn't make a meal half as good as yours."

The woman blushed as she finished lifting covers off the dishes. "Oh Mitsuko-san, you're too much!" she carried her tray into another room.

He grabbed chopsticks and began eating sloppily. A laugh rose from the man whose back was turned to her.

"Oy, Mitsuko, you keep eating like that and you'll end up fat as a cow. Then who will I take to parties?"

His voice was somewhat familiar. Was that Kane? She stepped out of the room cautiously.

"Well as long as your Kitai keeps cooking like this, I'll be a happy one!"

The other leaned forward to grab a drink and she caught a glimpse of his profile. That was definately Kane. She closed the door behind her and the motion caught Mitsuko's attention. His eyes widened before a mischievous smile appeared.

"Eh? What's this, Niko? Did you bring a little bird over here without telling me?"

The man opposite him turned. That black hair and silver eyes were of Kane, but his face wasn't quite the same as the face she remembered from last night. Plus, his hair fell almost to his shoulders. She found herself staring in confusion. Did her memory warp his face? Wasn't this Kane? If nothing else, he didn't seem like he recognized her. He looked up and down her figure and smirked.

"No, Mitsuko, I didn't bring her here. She must be Kane's!" He leapt up and approached her quickly, making her tense up.

She realized what was different about this person. His expression was, well, happy. This man was open and comfortable. He leaned down a bit to see her eye to eye and she felt herself blush.

"Look at you," he cooed as he circled around her. Mitsuko watched interestedly from the couch.

"Who would have guessed that your stiff-ass brother would ever find a girl?" the blonde laughed. "At least she's a cute one. You can always tell how hott a girl really is by the way she looks like in the morning."

"Well, you've got Mitsuko's approval, sweetie," Niko said. "What's your name?"

She hesitated. Nothing came to mind.

"Drawing a blank, are you? Rough night?"

She frowned. "That's funny. So – Niko. You're Kane's brother?"

"Of course I am. Like you haven't heard of Kiamatsu Niko! I know you're honored!"

He waited for her to answer and she wasn't sure if he was kidding. She glanced to Mitsuko, but his face was a placid smile.

"I don't think she's heard of you, Niko-kun," he said.

Niko looked deflated. "Hm. So this is why my brother didn't tell me about her. She's cute but obviously doesn't have much going on upstairs. That makes sense. He doesn't ever hide things from me, so this must be a big deal to keep her hidden from public eye. It's probably killing him inside. I'd be embarrassed too if I was sleeping with a girl that didn't even know the most famous person in the city."

"I wonder if she knows who I am, then."

"Probably not. No one knows you."

"That's not true! Just because she hasn't heard of you doesn't mean she's living under a rock."

"Yes it does."

"Now is that any way to treat your best friend?"

"It is when your best friend is me."

"Who are you again?"

"Hey, excuse me!"

She had heard enough. Niko sure looked like Kane, but he didn't act like him. Still, she couldn't explode on her savior's brother. She took a breath.

"I'm not sleeping with Kane," she explained, "I lost my memory somehow and your brother was kind enough to help me and give me a place to sleep. I don't know who you are, and I'm sorry that upsets you. Please don't take it personally."

Mitsuko laughed. "Isn't she cute!"

He motioned towards the couch next to him. "C'mon, have some lunch with us. I want to hear what happened."

"Oh no, that's okay, I probably should go-"

"We're not taking no for an answer!" Niko steered her to the table. He plopped her down next to him and she stared at the huge variety of foods.

Her stomach growled so loud it made her jump. The men laughed.

"Told you you were hungry," teased Mitsuko. He piled food on her plate. "Dig in."

She wanted to eat slow and polite, well aware that the men were watching her. But the second food touched her lips she realized she was beyond starving and gave up propriety. The different foods were all sinfully delicious as she scarfed them down without even registering what she was eating.

"Damn, Mitsuko, she eats as fast as you do!"

". . . I think she might eat the plate, too."

"Pass me some kimchi before she gets to it."

The boys dug in. Five minutes later, the feeding frenzy was over and she sat back with a drunken smile of satisfaction.

"That was amazing," she said.

"Ah, the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach," Niko teased.

"I told you Kitai's cooking was bangin'," Mitsuko said between bites.

"It was wonderful," Sakura agreed. "Thank you so much."

Niko took a sip of tea. "I can't figure out your accent. Where are you from?"

"Um - I don't know. Honestly."

The men glanced at each other.

"Hmm . . . ok," Niko said, "Let's try an easier one. What's your name?"

She looked down silently.

"You don't know your name?"

"I think I lost my memory somehow last night. I woke up on the beach, in a nightshirt, barefoot and alone. I walked for hours through the woods with no idea where I was going. If it wasn't for Kane finding me, I'd probably still be lost."

"That's my brother the hero," snorted Niko.

Mitsuko frowned. "Niko, what was your brother doing in the woods?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. He acts so weird sometimes I swear we're not related."

"Who exactly is your brother?" she asked.

"Eh, nobody important, really." Niko scooted himself closer to her. "What I'm more interested in is who _you_ are."

He leaned in to her and his eyes ran slowly down her body and back up. Silently he leaned in so close she could feel his breath on her skin. Feeling a hot blush creep up her face, suddenly the room was far too hot for her. But as she looked to see Mitsuko just watching with interest, she shuffled away from Niko's advance.

"I don't know what you're doing, but you better stop," she warned.

"Aw, Niko, can't we keep her?" Mitsuko begged from across the table, "She's too cute to leave with Kane. He wouldn't even know what to do with her!"

"I could definitely show her some new tricks," Niko responded, twirling a lock of her hair in his fingers. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone with this color hair. It's very . . . exotic."

His hand rested on her leg and she pulled it away.

"Cheesy lines like that won't work on me. Do you think Kane would be okay with the way you're acting?"

Niko smirked and opened his mouth but a loud beep interrupted his answer. All three turned towards the opening set of gold doors. A mirror image of Niko, dressed in a black suit, stepped into the room and froze. He took in the scene with sharp eyes.

"What's going on here?"

She stood up. "Kane-san!"

"You – I mean good morning. Niko, what are you doing here?"

His brother sighed and stood up, throwing his arm heavily over her shoulder. "I didn't know you were using the penthouse, nii-san. I figured we'd stop by this morning since we were close by this morning. You're never here, anyway."

"I didn't give you a key for a reason."

He laughed. "Like that'd keep me out? C'mon, Kane, the staff is in love with me. They were only too happy to see me again. But now I understand why you like your little hideout here – you've been busy with this doll!"

He pinched her cheek lightly. She felt a vein bulge on her forehead but stood her ground. Mostly because a good part of Niko's weight was resting on her.

"By the way," he continued, "You should take better care of your toys, this one was starved. Mitsuko and I were just feeding her breakfast and I've never seen a girl eat so much."

His friend nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Niko, get out of here. You too, Mitsuko. And don't call her my toy!"

"Well what should we call her then? This little mystery hasn't given us her name."

Kane looked at her.

"Wait," Mitsuko broke into a smile, "You know nothing about her either, do you?"

"She lost her memory. Now you too get lost too or I'll get you thrown out. My staff answers to me first, in case you forgot."

The blonde groaned like a child and hopped up. He put his arm on her other shoulder and her legs almost gave.

"Fine, but we're taking her with us. You're too mean to have this cute girl here."

Ok, that was enough. She winced and twisted away from the boys. She was tired of being talked about like she wasn't there. Plus, the two men definitely scared her. Who knows what they might have done if Kane hadn't walked in. Creeps.

"Thanks for breakfast," she smiled as she backed towards Kane. He was watching the two with a stern glare that had them grabbing their coats.

"Aw, nii-san, don't be this way, we were only playing!"

"Out," he said, and they were in the elevator, waving at her as the golden doors closed.

The room was oddly quiet when they left.

Kane cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that. Niko knows better than to come here. I didn't mean for you to meet like that."

"It's okay."

Awkward silence.

"How's the meal, boys?" the chef bustled back in with an empty tray. She gave a start when she saw Kane and bowed.

"I'm so sorry, Kiamatsu-san. I didn't know you were here."

"But you knew Niko was here."

"Y-your brother told me he had your permission, sir," she began frantically, "If we had known we would have let you know immediately."

"We or you? Don't lie to me, Kitai."

"Sir, I assure you I –"

"That's enough," he said. "Leave us be."

The woman seemed relieved and bowed her way out the door again. They were alone again.

She looked out the glass walls to the dazzling scene of skyscrapers.

"The city, what is it named?"

"Akirasawa."

She repeated the name. "Why doesn't it sound familiar?"

He stepped up next to her to look out.

"Well - I cleared my schedule for today, I thought I could show you around the city. Maybe you'll see something you'll remember."

"That'd be wonderful," she agreed.

"Good. I was going to take you out for breakfast, but seeing as you already ate . . ."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to spoil your plans. I can eat again!"

He laughed and offered her his arm.

"C'mon, princess. Let's show you around your new home."


	6. Chapter 6 With New Sight

This wasn't a very long chapter, I'm sorry.. My computer broke down (nearly exploded) and after a week of torture, I managed to fix it and get all my files back! But, I hope you like this chapter anyway. Please review!

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Chapter 6 - With New Sight

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The city was alive. Bright signs and screens blasted names and products and promises to the bustling crowd below. The afternoon sun beat down so harshly it was amazing that so many braved the heat. But the car's cooled air blew onto her face as she took in the city scene, and Kane was her personal tour guide.

Here was the famous fashion district, and she was awe-struck by the crazy and colorful outfits that beautiful people strutted with airs of confidence as layered as their shirts - Weren't they hot? Mostly a younger crowd, they walked and sat in tight-knit groups with cigarettes or sodas and endured the heat.

Here was the financial district, significantly less entertaining but still holding as many, if not more, pedestrians. But here all wore suits and walked swiftly in and out of glass and steel doors, gracefully stepping just around each other like some jaded dance, pausing only for traffic lights and hailing cabs.

There was the domestic district, a maze of apartment complexes and public transportation.

There was the largest mall, the highest building, the biggest park, the most lucrative factories.

In the process of giving her a quick but thorough tour of the city, Kane ended up explaining to her a hundred little details of everyday life which she was completely ignorant of. But he was a good instructor and never lost patience. She now knew what clothing stores were high-end and what parts of the city to stay away from. She learned that the huge metallic thing in the sky which had scared her on the beach the day before was called a helicopter, and that Kane personally owned four. She now knew how to hail a cab and that money was called Yen and to steer clear of those vendors who would try to usher women into dark stores or alleys.

"Akirasawa isn't a bad place," he said, "but the very definition of a city invites in the wrong type of person; it's just unavoidable. I've tried for years to lower the crime rate but violence is this unyielding force that always seems to resurface in new forms."

She even learned a bit about Kane in the process - he loved coconut flavored coffee, the blossom trees in the park, and had an intense passion for fast cars. He couldn't stand those damn board meetings, and he seemed to adore his little sister who lived in their house outside of Akirasawa.

Throughout their ride it didn't escape her that the logo, which she had seen on Kane's building, elevator and even his towels, was imprinted on half the city. The crossed kanji letters seemed almost like a brand, reminding the city of who it belonged to.

Kane had pulled over in a secluded section of the large Reihou Park which was situated on the outskirts of the city where the noise of traffic couldn't follow. They sat on a wooden bench half-hidden by a grove of pinked-blossom trees, now almost in full bloom. He had made a quick phone call with his cell (she knew what those were now!) and within minutes, a mysterious buff man in a suit and ear piece appeared and handed them each an ice cream cone. It would have been creepy if Kane hadn't explained to her that he ordered them. He had gotten two coconut ice creams.

"Are you sure you like it?" he asked anxiously, and she convinced him it was delicious. She didn't remember ice cream, of course, but the cold treat was the most amazing taste she could recall. Now they ate in silence, watching a few sparse passerby from behind their shaded veil of blossoms. She should be happy, she knew. If she was any other girl, sitting with a handsome, obviously rich and famous man who just had shown her the city, she might have been embarrassed and star-struck. As it was, she just enjoyed the moment, turning over the events of the day in her mind.

"You never really explained," she began slowly, "How you came to have so much influence over Akirasawa. If you don't mind, are you some kind of politician?"

He glanced at her and looked away. "I guess it had to be asked eventually. Honestly it's kind of embarrassing to admit to someone who doesn't know who I am."

"Go ahead, I promise I won't laugh."

He smiled sweetly.

"Where to begin . . . since I was little, I was famous and photographed and followed because my parents were the richest and most influential people in Akirasawa. My father himself raised a powerhouse corporation that had its fingers dipped in everything from the auto to the film industry, and my mother was from old money and a surname which funded the formation of the city at its very beginnings. It was a match made in media heaven, and after my parents' deaths, I was the lucky one who inherited the money and the fame and the power to use as I wanted. That was exactly as they wanted to happen anyway, but maybe not so soon."

His voice was thick with sarcasm towards the end, but she decided not to push that subject of his parents' deaths. She wasn't so comfortable with him yet.

"What about your brother?"

He barked a bitter laugh. "What about Niko? He's the younger one, the forgotten twin. He may do as he pleases without responsibility or repercussions, and trust me; he takes full advantage of that."

He was silent for a minute.

"You two - you're very different."

He nodded. "We used to be so close growing up. And now . . ." he looked to her with eyes that seemed to smile all their own. "Never mind about that, I'm boring you with my life story."

"I was enjoying it. And at least you have one. If I did, I'd probably be boring you instead."

"I can't imagine that."

He was gazing at her so intensely that she blushed and stared at her almost demolished ice cream cone.

"I like this spot, Kane. These trees are beautiful."

"They are. As long as I can remember I've enjoyed being around them. There's something very peaceful and nostalgic about them, don't you think?"

She murmured an agreement. There definitely was something nostalgic in the pink flowers curtained around them. She picked a fallen petal and felt it's softness on her fingertips.

"The very same color as your hair," Kane said, gently touching a strand. "Interesting."

"What are they called?"

"These are Sakura."

Her eyes widened for a split second as the word floated around her mind. Something she forgot . . . the petal slipped between her fingers and floated to the ground.

"Say it again?"

"Sakura," he repeated. He watched her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just – I feel like that was something important. I like hearing you say it."

He smiled. "I'll say it as often as you like - Sakura."

Her heart swelled at the intimacy of the moment. It was interrupted as voices drifted towards them by a couple walked close by.

"Wait, look, sweetie," whispered the woman from the other side of the trees, "there's people there. Let's find another bench."

The man with her peered down through the branches as they passed, and Kane immediately brushed his hand over his face, shielding it from view. The man glanced innocently at them and continued walking.

As they left Kane closed his eyes and rested his head back on the bench

"Kane, why are you so afraid of people?"

He paused. "I'm not afraid of people, I just don't want to be recognized. There's a difference."

"Okay," she smiled back, not believing him in the least. It seemed odd that a businessman would be so antisocial, but she figured he would tell her if he ever felt like sharing.

"You're very comfortable to be around," he said after they sat for a bit, "You don't need to fill up silences, either. You're a good friend, Sakura."

Her stomach burned with an unknown feeling at his words. She supposed that he had decided to call her that name, which wasn't entirely a bad thing. The fact that she could have made friends with someone like him was empowering, and now that she had a name, it felt like the pieces of her life were finally falling into place. If only she knew how long it would last, she might feel as comfotable as Kane looked right now. He looked so peaceful right now, dozing with his face tilted towards the sky, that his face resembled Niko's relaxed exterior more than before. A gentle wind lifted his dark hair so gently she wanted to reach out and touch it.

Making up her mind, she instead closed her eyes and rested back against the bench as he did. Birds chirped in the cherry trees, the soft sound of voices called from the distant park, and the breeze eased through the branches around them in a soothing sensation.

Her eyes opened with a start as she felt Kane's head fall to rest on her shoulder. He had fallen asleep.

She smiled to herself. Maybe everything would be okay here, after all.

* * * * * * *

Darkness. The same darkness he had woken up to every day for, how long had it been? Only months? Then – a dull motion, a sweep of light had crossed before him. What was that?

He heard a chant, and following the sound, pulled himself into full consciousness. Warmth seeped from where his eyes were, not unlike the mysterious sensation he felt after they were gone. It wasn't yet uncomfortable, but grew in intensity at an alarming rate. Why were his eyes burning?

A flash of green passed before him and brought with it a searing headache that would have him doubled over in pain if he hadn't been restrained on his back.

The warmth melted into hot, the hot became one with his headache and he felt his back arcing off the table as far as it could go. He heard screaming and tried shaking himself free to be rid of the hot pokers that must be jabbed into his eyes, for only that could cause such pain. His eyes – something was happening. That old sensation was back, as if he had them back in his skull. One of the voices was familiar, he recognized Tsunade giving instructions or something and he registered fireworks of color blasting in what could only be vision and then he passed out again.

Darkness, same as always, when he woke up. But this time . . . he reached up and touched his bandages. They were different than the ones he himself put on daily to hide his deformity. They were layered much thicker. And beneath them – was that – he reached around his head frantically to find the end of the gauze. Finding none, he began to rip off the entire thing off and a bright white light burned his retinas so badly he feared he would be blind again. He cried out and pulled the dressing back on frantically.

Someone heard his cry and ran inside. Immediately, he registered that it was a woman, about 60 kilos, wearing heels and a bit top-heavy. But he recognized her chakra well, and Tsunade stepped forward to examine the damage with a hiss of disapproval.

"You shouldn't have pulled the bandages off, you might have damaged them," she scolded. "Keep them closed!"

He did as she asked and she touched them gently, sending small amounts of chakra to examine the internal workings of his eyes. HIS eyes.

"Should be just fine, you lucky bastard," she mumbled, and flicked off the light switch.

"Okay, now I want you to open them _VERY SLOWLY_. Don't even squint until I tell you."

Sasuke felt the bandages removed once more, this time methodically, and she took a step back. He tried to picture her anxious face. He remembered everyone so vividly, and got around the world so well, that often he hardly viewed his handicap as a horrible thing. But there were times that he hated it. Like when he slept with a girl, and all he wanted to do was see her face, her expressions, to see those lips that would part to whisper his name – but never, did he want to see more than he did at this moment. So close, please hurry, Tsunade, let me see.

"Alright, open them just slightly."

He held his breath and fought the urge to open them entirely right away. The room was tinted blue in the dark, and after a few minutes his vision focused and hazy blurs became objects he could recognize on sight.

She allowed him finally to open his eyes and he could take in everything. Every corner of the room was his to see, and there stood Tsunade, looking just as he remembered and he must have broken into a smile because she did too. It was incredible.

"How is it?" she asked softly, and he looked down at his hands and stared at them for a while.

"Tsunade, I can't . . . " How could he thank her? For _this_?

She waved it off. "Somebody wants to see you. Shall I let him in?"

Three guesses who that was. He nodded and the door opened from the dark hallway. Naruto stepped in with his big smile and bright blue eyes and they stared at each other for a moment, in full understanding without saying a word. Then he threw Sasuke a giant hug and the Uchiha panicked for a second because his vision was becoming blurry and hot again. On instinct he brought his hands up to his eyes and felt something he hadn't felt in so long he didn't recognize it; they were tears.

"That's your body adjusting to the new organs," Tsunade explained with a small smile, as if she sensed his frustration. "You'll tear up for a bit, your sclera will be red, and they'll itch for a few days, but that should be the most of your trouble.

Naruto pulled back. "Woa, yea, looks like you haven't slept in days."

"There aren't any scars, either, because the implantation and healing were done by chakra and not surgery."

She handed him a mirror and he looked at himself for a while. It was funny, of all the times he had pictured what everyone else looked like in his head, he had never imagined his own face. His pale skin and features had always reminded him a bit of that man, but after not seeing his own face for so long, and now, with those eyes that had been salvaged from that body and transplanted into his own, he never looked more like his brother.

The hook-shaped black spots rotated slowly over blood-red irises. He looked at his reflection for a while, struggling with the emotions that plagued him at the sight.

"What about the Sharingan?" he asked Tsunade, who had sat down on the bedside.

She took the mirror and flicked on a pen light, checking his papillary reflexes as she spoke.

"You'll regain that power soon enough," she said softly. "But Sasuke . . .you understand that we expect a certain level of responsibility from you. If nothing else than you at least owe me that, for all the work we put into this."

He didn't respond.

"What she means is, teme," said Naruto, giving his shoulder a light punch, "Don't be the same jerk you were. Got it?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to the Hokage.

"Tsunade. I have a leave of absence while I'm healing, right?"

"Of course. We won't expect you back in functioning shinobi order for at least a few months."

"There's something I've been wanting to do. Since I won't be able to work, I can at least take a little trip, right?"

"I don't think I like where this is going."

"I want to go across the ocean and see Sakura."

"What?!" Naruto jumped up, knocking over a tray of supplies and catching it midair. He slammed it back down.

"You're kidding me."

"I'm not."

"Tsunade, tell me he's still got some drugs in him because he's making no sense."

She was silent as she read Sasuke's stern face.

"I know it's dangerous and it's probably going to be a waste of time to look-"

"Dangerous?! It's impossible to get to! No one's ever gone there and made it back."

It was Sasuke's turn to read Tsunade and her silence said it all.

"It's not impossible," the Uchiha said softly, "is it, Tsunade?"

She sighed.

"It's not easy, she admitted. "But there are several people who've made it back. Pein, being one of them."

"I figured as much."

"Are you really set on this, Sasuke? Is your reason good enough to risk your life?"

He threw her his classic smirk.

"You're really asking a shinobi, a criminal, an ex-missing nin, if something so little as risking his life is an argument not to do something?"

She groaned. "Sasuke, I want you back in no more than six months. I want you to take care of your eyes and not even _try_ to use the Sharingan in at least three weeks. I want your word you're not going to disappear into thin air."

"You've got it."

"And I want Naruto to go with you."

"Are you sure? I mean, with what he's supposed to do."

"I'm sure that if he goes with you, not only will you come back, but you'll be obligated to bring him back in one piece too. There's no arguing that you two are unstoppable together."

"If you say so. But isn't it up to him?"

Naruto had been looking back and forth between them incredulously with his mouth hanging open.

"W- Tsu- I- Sasuke, of course I'm going with you."

"Great. Now all you boys need is your guide."

At that moment a knock on the door precluded a crowd of people bursting into the room. Everyone they had grown up with since the Academy were there, even including Ino, whose infamous grudge for being finally rejected by Sasuke had no impact on her interest in his new eyes and the chance for new gossip, and Hinata, who was likely there for Naruto's sake more than his. They all stared and congratulated and complimented him on his eyes and his luck to have them returned.

A few staff nurses peeked in to see the results of their work. Even Temari appeared, with Shikamaru, who she was now staying with in the village most of the year. Konohamaru pushed with his little crowd, and some instructors trickled in here and there, mostly keeping behind the tumult. Kakashi waved from the back and looked across the crowd and to Sasuke, and he could swear he knew Kakashi was thinking about how much had changed in the past year alone. He motioned to the Uchiha that he'd be back later and disappeared.

Sasuke tried with patience to listen and respond to the large group Naruto had told about Sasuke's surgery (it had to have been him; no one outside the hospital was told about it) but his mind raced to the future. Their guide.

He had knew that they had to take a boat across, but that was as far as he could plan their trip. How they would find this boat, and who would help them, was all up to whatever Tsunade had kept secret all this time.

XoXoXoXoXo


	7. Chapter 7 In the Limelight

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Chapter 7 – Meeting a friend

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"You sure this is okay?"

Sakura pulled at her dress anxiously as she surveyed herself in the mirror. She had been given the full-length blue dress as a gift for the party she was about to attend, and, although grateful, she had been hesitant to accept the invitation.

Kane looked her up and down with an approving nod. "I'm positive. You look great."

She blushed and turned towards the glass wall overlooking the city. "No, I meant, is it okay that I'm going to this party? I feel like I'm butting in."

"Don't worry about it. Anybody who dares to question you will have me to answer to."

As with many similar statements he made, Sakura wasn't quite sure if he was kidding. Maybe she just didn't get his humor yet, but she knew he was definitely capable of issuing a legitimate threat. Only the other day she'd been talking with him in his office when a man had burst in past security, begging for his life after letting a large amount of weaponry get stolen from his transportation company. Kane had silently listened as the well-dressed man had fallen to the ground in a jumble of apologies, his forehead hitting the floor again and again. She could only watch in shock as Kane listened to his pleas, and said in a soft, unsettlingly calm voice that the man could only save his life by retrieving the weapons and capturing those responsible. No, not kill. Capture alive. The man got one more bow in before security got a hold of him and dragged him out of the room.

Needless to say, Kane had a side to him that had capabilities he kept hidden.

"I won't know what to do with myself," she argued, not even completely sure why she was. It was an honor to attend this event, and she even had the luxury of being the special guest of Kiamatsu Kane.

"Just be yourself," he smiled, and threw a jacket around her shoulders. "But try not to mention that little fact."

"You mean the fact that I don't know where I came from? That I appeared out of nowhere last week and no one can figure out who I am, no matter how much the tabloids guess? Yeah, I think I can manage not to bring it up. But I'm pretty sure someone else will."

They entered the penthouse elevator.

"If they do, they'll have to deal with whatever answer you want to give them. I trust you to say what feels best."

She nodded. At least he trusted her in that way. But she wondered how his trust would be misconstrued by others. Already, papers claimed he had a new secretary, or a PR rep, or a live-in girlfriend. Little did they know that their relationship was only that of friends. She just happened to have nowhere else to live but his penthouse.

The elevator doors opened and one of Kane's cars pulled up (Sakura had since given up trying to remember all the types he owned). She expected Kane's usual driver to step out, but instead, a new face greeted them with a bow.

"Good evening, Kane-sama," said the man, who had shocking orange hair that clashed with his black suit. "Good evening, ma'am."

He opened the door without really looking up at Kane, but his eyes rose to meet Sakura's for a fleeting second before he shut the door behind them.

Once in the car, Kane stretched out and cracked his neck. A dark window separated them from the chauffeur up front.

"What happened to your normal driver?" Sakura asked.

"He got himself into a car accident, ironically. This is, Ichi, if I remember correctly. He came recommended by an old friend. "

"Is your old driver alright?"

He nodded. The car pulled out into the city.

"So, on a better note," he began, "Niko shouldn't be coming tonight, so everything might go smoothly for once."

She smiled. Although she hadn't seen wild Niko since their first encounter, she knew from Kane's personality that he cared about his brother, even if he tried to hide it.

"Wasn't he invited?"

"No. If everything went right, he has no idea this party is even going on."

"I'm impressed! You said this was a really important event."

"It is. It was nearly impossible to ensure that no media coverage would hit his favorite part of city until after tonight. Everybody with influence in politics will be there and if it doesn't go perfectly, I'll never hear the end of it."

"So this whole thing is just about making your life easier, isn't it?"

He laughed and threw up his hands. "You got me. So sue me for wanting a break from the needling critiques of political life."

"I can't blame you; you really do look like you need some sleep."

"Well if I do, people will be asking how I got a beautiful woman like you, Sakura."

The car swerved suddenly and Sakura's hand accidentally landed on his leg. He looked down at it.

"Sorry!" she pulled it back quickly, hoping she wasn't blushing. It may have been childish, but she couldn't help that at certain times he was just too cute to be a friend. With a face like his, it amazed her that he mostly hid from the public eye, and the beautiful women that offered themselves to him at any chance.

They pulled over at the building where the party was being held. The door opened for them and Kane stepped out, taking her hand to lead her out.

Immediately she was bombarded with bright lights and camera flashes, shouts and questions. Disoriented by the chaos, she was glad Kane's hand gripped hers tightly as they moved through the crowd, guided by the velvet rope and a line of security to the front doors.

"Who is she?" called several voices.

"What, no pictures?"

"Just answer the question, Kiamatsu-sama!"

It was unbearable. She was infinitely glad when the doors closed behind them, trapping the noise behind them.

Inside was a giant hall, superbly decorated and relatively crowded as well. But these people were in dresses and suits, chatting calmly in small groups. Violin music played in the background.

Those nearest looked up as they entered and Sakura felt a hundred eyes on her. She swallowed and looked to Kane, who gave her a reassuring smile. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to ignore the stares.

"Take a breath," he whispered to her, as they started into the crowd. "You're with me. They can't hurt you."

A fire burned hot within her and she floated with him through the sea of faces.

"Here we go," He lifted two glasses off a tray held out by a server. "This will help us get through the night."

Sakura took a sip of the bubbly drink.  
"It's delicious, what is it?"

He hesitated then smiled. "It's just champagne. I'm sorry, sometimes I forget . . ."

A couple walked up to them and greeted Kane. Their names were lost the second she heard them, but they prattled on to Kane about their success for a good few minutes before Kane excused himself and pulled her away.

"Alright, please just give me two hours to mingle with these horrible people," he murmured. "And trust me, I'll be having as much fun as you are."

For the next hour, Sakura was introduced to far too many people for her to remember. Diplomats, corporate leaders, actors, and wealthy heirs were all eager to greet Kane. Many gave her curious glances, and some were brave enough to toss in a question about her, which Kane immediately would disrupt or ignore altogether.

The night was going well, if not extremely boring, and Sakura found herself glancing around for a clock between introductions and small talk. Had it been another hour yet? She couldn't tell. But she did catch more than a few glares in her direction, mostly from younger women. She bit her lip and tried to enjoy herself anyway.

In between groups Kane found moments to talk to her. He pulled her aside and apologized again if she was bored.

"Holding up okay?" he asked.

She nodded and motioned to her drink. "But I keep sipping it to be polite, and they keep filling it back up!"

He laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, I've been asked three times whether that's your natural hair color. I didn't even know how to respond."

She opened her mouth to argue, but paused. "You know, I'm not even sure if it is, either. I guess I'll find out sooner or later, won't I?"  
"Well, I was about to say that I won't be seen with a girl who dyes her hair and can't remember it."  
"Let's just say it's natural."

He took a sip.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that a certain famous director wanted to know if you can act, because he's sure he sees some talent in you."

"Right, I'm sure that's what he sees," she said dryly. Kane shook his head with a smile.

"I've taught you well. No one in this city is willing to give you something for free. Especially in this group of fine people," he nodded towards the crowd, "who have nothing better to do than gossip and scheme."

He flinched as a pair of arms threw themselves around him.

"Kane-sama!"

A smiling face appeared next to him. She had a shock of purple hair pulled up and falling around her maroon eyes.

"Hello, Takara-san. Nice to see you."

"Oh, don't play formalities with me. I just got here but this looks like another successful party by the Kiamatsu Corporation. You did good."

"Thank you. Takara, this is Sakura."

Takara just seemed to notice her.

"Oh so this is the girl everyone's talking about!"

"Nice to meet you, Takara-san," Sakura said. The girl looked her up and down and circled around her. She nodded approvingly.

"Kane-sama, she's so cute! We're going to have to be friends, Sakura-chan. I'm just about always around Niko and if you're dating Kane then we'll see a lot of each other. What are you doing this weekend? We should go shopping and get to know each other."

"That sounds great. But Kane and me, we're just friends."

"Mhm sure. Where did you two meet?"

Sakura paused and thankfully Kane stepped in.

"Takara, this isn't really the time for that. Are you here with anybody?"

She gave him a look that proved her suspicion but she shrugged.  
"Yea I'm here with Niko-sama."

Kane groaned. "Every time . . . I swear it's like he can read my mind when I don't want him to show up."

Takara laughed. "You're so mean to poor Niko-sama! What did he ever do to you?"

"How long do we have?"

A loud thud had everyone in the room looking around, and eyes settled to the low stage where the violinists were playing. Niko tapped the microphone again.

"Good evening, everyone!" his voice echoed throughout the hall. His blonde friend Mitsuko stood nearby, flanked by three women. He whistled to Niko and began clapping.

"Speech, speech!"

Niko pointed to his friend. "Thank you, Mitsuko! I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight."

"Has he been drinking?" Kane hissed to Takara. She shrugged. "I don't think so."

"In fact," he continued, "I'd like you all to give a big hand to my dear brother Kane, the real planner behind the party. Where are you, brother? I know you're here somewhere."

Kane cursed under his breath and raised his hand, nodding to his brother with a false polite smile.

"Let's hear it for Kane, everybody!" he began clapping.

The crowd, obviously a bit confused, followed with an applause to which Kane politely gestured thanks. Takara enthusiastically gave a catcall.

"Now, I know this wasn't exactly announced, but you people all have plenty of money, and our dear leader Kane has kindly offered to turn this party into a charity event."

He paused as an applause rose without his guidance, and he smiled and bowed, eating it up.

"Kane here has offered to raffle off his beautiful Mazda 4 to the highest bidder, all proceeds going to his charity!"

Another applause, more lively this time, and Niko happily began leading the auction by taking offers.

"Damnit, Niko," Kane frowned.

"Did he really just auction off your car?"

"Unfortunately this is one of his pranks the public loves him so well for."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Walk home, I guess."

"Really?"

He smiled. "I'm kidding! I'll just have another car brought around."

"It would've been nice to walk, though. It's not too far."

"Sakura, I'm really sorry, but I can't just waltz out into the city like that. If the wrong person saw me, it could mean a lot of trouble."

She nodded. "I understand."

He watched her intently.

"You know what? Let's do it. Niko's got a hold of this party now, my presence won't be missed."

They turned to leave but Takara stood in their way.

"Leaving so early from your own party? Shame on you, Kane-sama."

"Thanks for coming, Takara, but I've had enough on Niko's antics for today. And he wonders why I don't invite him places."

She frowned. "Did it ever occur to you that the reason he does things like this is _because_ you don't invite him?"

Before he could respond she disappeared into the crowd.

He walked in silence to the front and nearly walked past their driver, who stood waiting by the door.

"Sir," the man called as he caught up, "I was just informed that the car is going to be auctioned tonight?"

Kane nodded solemnly.

"It's a shame, sir. A Mazda 4 like that is hard to come by."

"You're very right, Ichi."

"Should I call for another?"

"No, Sakura and I are going to walk back. You can follow."

He bowed. "Yes, sir."

Another glance was given to Sakura, and she was beginning to think there was something it his gaze. But Kane took her hand and they exited down a hallway to a side door, where there were no paparazzi waiting.

"We'll stay away from the main roads," Kane said.

They started down a wide alley and crossed a bridge over the highway, heading for a less populated area. Ichi the driver followed far enough behind that their conversation was private.  
"Who are you afraid of seeing you out in the streets?"

"Besides photographers? Who, by the way, can be hell-bent on trying to get a picture of me doing anything regrettable. . . there's still a good amount of organized crime I can't seem to get rid of. They're dangerous people who want my head."

"You make it sound like you're on the run."

"That might be easier. Love it or hate it, I'm stuck with Akirasawa and all the problems that come with it."

"It's funny, the city is only beautiful to me. I guess I haven't seen enough of it to know."

He was silent for a moment. They had kept on the sidewalk farther from the road so no one driving would see their faces, and they had gone unnoticed by any of the sparse passerby so far.

"You've felt too sheltered up in the penthouse, haven't you? I noticed you haven't left it much."

She sighed. "Honestly, I'm kinda afraid of getting lost . . . what if I lost my memory again? What if I woke up completely alone in the city? I don't know if I'd be so lucky as to run in to you again."

"You're so sweet, Sakura. Just like I put up with Akirasawa's problems, you put up with all of mine, but you never complain."

"I'm happy to be with you no matter what, you know that. But, I would like to see the city somehow even while you're working."

"Hold on, Sakura. I think we're being followed."

"By your driver? I thought he was supposed-"

"No, someone else across the street. They've been keeping pace with us for a few blocks now."

"Sir." Sakura jumped.

Ichi had quietly caught up with them and kept a few steps behind.

"Our tail is three men," he began, "two armed with guns, one with a small knife. They know who you are and have been trying to decide whether to attack you or not. Do you want me to get rid of them?"

Kane smirked. "You already knew they were there, Ichi?"

"They doubled back five blocks ago when we passed."

"You're very observant for a chauffeur."

"I'm just being careful, sir. Now please, would you two stay behind me?"

He turned towards the three men who had crossed the street to their side. They stopped a few meters away when they realized they'd been found out.

"What are you looking at?" called one of them, whose hand was in his jacket.

Ichi stood between the men and Sakura and Kane.

"We don't want any trouble," he said.

"Neither do we!" said another of the men. "But when we see Kiamatsu Kane walking down the street, we feel like we owe it to our boss to bring him the guy who put him in jail."

"He's not going anywhere. Now get out of here if you don't want to get hurt. This is your last chance."

The first stepped forward and pulled out a gun. He pointed it straight at Ichi's chest.

"No, this is _your_ last chance. Get out of our way."

Ichi took a step towards him.

"That's it!"

Ichi dove forward and Sakura braced herself for the sound of a gun. But there was none. The first man was lying on the ground and the others leapt for him. Ichi grabbed the arm of the second gunman and tossed him over his shoulder. In the same movement he spun and kicked the third so hard he flew back a few meters before hitting the ground with a thud.

None of them moved and Ichi walked coolly back to Kane as if going for a stroll.

"We can continue on, sir."

Kane didn't move.

"Something tells me you're not just a driver," he said slowly.

"I've practiced martial arts all my life, I like to be prepared for anything I might meet."

"Your previous employer didn't mention that."

"He probably didn't think it was relevant, sir. I'm just happy for the work."

"Hey Sakura, this might be the perfect solution."

"To what?"

"Ichi knows the city, and he could protect you if anything happened."

"You mean you want me to have a bodyguard?"

"Why not? He's already in my employment. And I don't need him while I'm working, I have other people to drive me at the office. I'd feel much better knowing you're in good hands."

"Would that be okay, Ichi?" Sakura asked.

The man nodded.

"Thank you, Ichi-san," she said, "I really appreciate it. I'll try not to be too much of a bother to you."

"That won't be a problem, ma'am."

He turned to Kane.

"We should start walking before they wake up."

"Good man. Let's get going Sakura, we're close to home."

She glanced back at Ichi as they began walking. He was looking up at the moon.

***


	8. Chapter 8 Across Something New

Yes, it's been a LONG time since I've published - please don't hate me for it! This chapter is a longer one to make up for it, and finallyyyy something good happens I hope you'll all like. Thank you so much to all my readers who have stuck through and who still remind me to update despite my horrible procrastination.

Xoxoxo

Chapter 8 - Across Something New

"Tsunade, you're insane. I can't believe we're doing this."

The Hokage was leading them through the treetops of eastern Fire Country at a moderate speed. She hadn't spoken much since they left, and Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata were eager to reach their destination.

"Do you want to see Sakura again? Then be quiet and hurry up."

Naruto groaned. Of all the people who it could have been, it was one of the most annoying yet dangerous people he'd ever met who was going to lead them overseas.

"Baka, just hope he'll agree to help us."

"Why would he? And Tsunade, how do you know where he is, anyway?"

"What part of 'shut up' don't you understand?"

"I wasn't talking to you, teme."

"We're almost there," Tsunade said shortly. "Keep quiet, I want to know where he is before he knows where we are. Hinata, please activate your Byakugan."

"I'm already looking, Hokage-sama. He's nowhere in sight- ah, wait, now he's here."

They all stopped and looked where Hinata motioned. Once again, their target showed his rare ability to transport himself over long distances. His figure appeared out of thin air before them.

"Look at this!" he said with a clap, "have you all come to play with me?"

He hadn't changed at all since they had last seen him running the Akatsuki. Of course, he did keep every part of him covered – with a long black cloak, dark gloves and his signature on-eyed orange mask.

"Tobi," said Tsunade. "We need your help."

"Really now?" He sat down on the branch and swung his legs over the edge. "What makes you think I'd help you?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, there's probably nothing you want from the village that we're willing to give you. But there's peace in between the five countries now, and your organization has long since dissipated."

"Big words that mean nothing, Hokage," he replied, "What are you getting at then?"

She smiled. "You're bored, Tobi. You have nothing to gain here, hiding out in the wildness. No one will follow you to fight Konoha, no one will meet with you even to discuss the possibility of teaming up. You're stuck with a failed ambition and no leader to follow. Am I wrong?"

"Ah, no, you're exactly right. Woe is me. Tobi." he lay down on the branch for a minute before popping his head back up.

"So what's the plan then, Hokage? Have you just come to tease Tobi or offer him a job?"

"I want you to lead a few Konoha ninja across the ocean to the other land and bring them back here alive."

"Eh?" he sat up. "These three? Let's see . . . that's Sasuke-kun, Naruto the Kyuubi, and a cute little Hyuuga."

"Her name is Hinata." Naruto growled.

He appeared behind Hinata and the others tensed. But he threw his arms around her and squeezed her in a big hug.

Hinata shrieked with a tomato red face.

"Sooo cute this one! Can Tobi keep her?"

"Stay away from her!" Naruto yelled as he stepped forward. Tobi jumped back and threw up his hands.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke shook his head. "It's our only option, isn't it? No one else has been there before. No one knows the way."

"It has to be him," Tsunade agreed.

"Mhm. So Tobi's supposed to take three kids alllll the way there and back just because the Hokage says so?"

"And because I'm asking you, too," said Sasuke. Tobi gave him a long look, unreadable through his mask. There was complete silence.

"You missed Tobi, didn't you, Sasuke-kun?" he squealed, completely dissolving the evil aura he had created.

"Then I'll leave you all to start from here," said Tsunade.

"Uh-uh. Not so fast! Tobi still hasn't told you yes just yet."

"Well, which is it?"

He paused dramatically.

"Yes."

Naruto snorted a laugh but froze under Tsunade's glare.

"Thank you, Tobi," she said, "I hope you know I'm only trusting my shinobi with you because I trust their abilities over your own. If they're harmed in any way, you can expect the entire Fire Country to be looking for your head. Got it?"

"Heh- of course, of course, Miss Hokage. Tobi always finishes a mission. Except for one tiny one he didn't."

"You're talking about destroying Konoha?" asked Naruto dryly.

"That's the one. Well, Tobi packs light, so are you ready to go now?"

"We are," said Sasuke.

"Be careful, all of you." Said Tsunade, "I don't want you returning to Konoha with any lost limbs or something."

"Bye, Hokage-sama," said Tobi.

"And don't trust those people either, only trust each other. Not including Tobi."

"Bye, Hokage-sama," he said again.

She opened her mouth to speak.

"BYE HOKAGE-SAMA!" he said loudly, and frowned but leapt away.

The Akatsuki member cracked his knuckles and sighed deeply.

"I thought she would never leave. Okay, my cute little shinobi, shall we get going? It's a long and hard trip to the other world."

"We're ready," said Sasuke.

"Okay then." He disappeared and then reappeared right behind Hinata again. He threw her another giant hug and she squealed again. Naruto got to him first and grabbed his arm, while Sasuke grabbed his other intending to pull him away, and suddenly the forest around them grew dim and gray and the ground fell out from beneath them.

XoXoXoXo

It was another hot day in the city and Sakura looked out of the penthouse window with a smile on her face. She was going to meet Takara for a little shopping before brunch, and she had even promised to buy Sakura some clothes to go clubbing in that night. Not that Sakura was without money – Kane had lent her one of his credit cards, but she still felt too uncomfortable to use it for anything.

She grabbed the cellphone Kane lent her as well (she really had to start earning her own keep!) and pressed for the elevator. The doors opened and she jumped ten feet when Ichi was standing right there. He was dressed in a black suit, hands in his pockets lazily.

"Going down?" He sounded amused.

She stepped in with an embarrassed sigh and he pressed for the garage level.

"So what, do you spend your days waiting in the elevator for me?"

He smiled. "Something like that."

"Honestly that's kinda creepy."

"In the Kiamatsu Corporation, Kane-sama's convenience is considered a priority. And now you're his priority, which means that I make sure I'm at your disposal 24/7. Even if it means I'm a creepy chauffer."

"You don't sound like someone who just started this job."

"Let's just say I've been here once or twice before."

"I can't believe he actually hired me a bodyguard. I know Kane worries about me, but he really doesn't have to. It's not like I'm a famous person. You know, I was thinking that I really don't need one of those, anyway."

"A famous person?"

She smiled. "No, a bodyguard. You can have the day off, I won't tell Kane."

"Ah. Well, I have to appreciate your point, but my orders come only from Kane-sama. He says be your bodyguard. And I have to do what he says."

He leaned in close.

"It's my job," he said with a wink.

She was about to take an offended step away but for some reason unknown to her, she didn't. She just looked at him. His eyes were . . . something was so beautiful in them. Comfortable, even.

Their faces were very close for a long moment until he blinked, stood straight again and cleared his throat.

Sakura felt herself go red. She had to regain some dignity after blatantly staring at him like that but she couldn't think of a damn thing to say. She just stared at the numbers on the screen fall as the elevator approached the garage level.

"So where are you going to in the city, ma'am?" Ichi asked formally.

"Ah, 67th and 8th. With Tanaka. You'll be following us all day?"

"That's right. Until you get to know your way around the city. But it seems to me you're getting the hang of things around here."

The elevator came to a stop and Sakura's legs gave out beneath her. In a flash Ichi caught her arm just before she hit the ground.

"Damn elevators!" she cursed.

"Careful," he smiled, helping her back up.

She sighed heavily. So much for dignity.

Xoxox

Takara was waiting for her outside a department store, and they spent a good portion of the day walking around, exploring outlets, her explaining some basic shopping strategies to Sakura, chattering a bit much and once in a while throwing in a word or phrase she had to clarify. Ichi followed at a distance. Sometimes he was within eyesight, but most of the time she had no idea where he was. There was just this feeling she had that he was around, watching her. It was somewhat comforting.

They stopped at a small restaurant for an early dinner, setting their bags around them. Takara's phone rang and she smiled as she answered.

"Hey there, cutie," she cooed, and mouthed _Niko-sama_ to Sakura. She listened for a bit and agreed. "Sounds great, see you soon."

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

Takara took a big bite of her burger and glanced across the restaurant to the door, where Ichi stood against the wall, arms crossed, calmly scanning the area.

"So here's the plan," Takara leaned in with a mischievous grin. "We're going to ditch your tail and get out of here. Niko-sama wants to meet you in person, show you a good time around the city."

"But I've already met him. The first night I was here, then at that party a while back. When he'd raffled off Kane's car."

"_That_ wasn't a party," Takara rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "That was a boring benefit full of rich phonies with nothing better to do with their money."

Sakara gave a not-so-subtle look at Takara's loads of shopping bags. "And you do?"

Her friend laughed. "Okay, fine. But seriously, it's about time you had some fun in this city. Kane-sama keeps you locked up in his penthouse like a little pet –"

"I'm not his pet!"

"- when everyone knows you should be enjoying the spotlight he so lovingly cast on you."

Sakura bit her lip in thought and glanced once more at Ichi. Her bodyguard was talking to what appeared to be the restaurant manager. Who knew what safety measures they were discussing. The man really needed to relax. Nothing bad was going to happen to her, especially if she was with Takara. The girl knew Akirasawa like the back of her well-manicured hand.

"Okay," Sakura conceded, "Let's do it."

"Good. Now all we need is a plan to ditch your man. It might be hard though, he hasn't said a word and never seems to get near us."

"I have an idea."

"Sakura, dear," Takara smirked and sat back in her chair. "I do believe I'm having a bad influence on you."

Xox

They left the restaurant and walked a few minutes until they found a quiet street alley with no one in it. The setting sun cast odd shadows around the two girls, arms laden with bags. Fortunately they weren't in a dangerous neighborhood, or so Takara had promised.

They set the bags down and waited for Ichi to follow, but he didn't show. Where was he?

Following an instinct, she glanced up through the buildings and saw just the sky above them- but had the odd feeling something was just there.

"Ichi!" she called, and immediately he stepped from the street into the alley. She was relieved to see him.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Hi there," she put on a sweet smile. "We really want to shop some more but these bags are weighing us down. Could you please take these to the car for us?"

Hopefully she came off as an innocent and helpless ditz. Ichi paused.

"I'm only supposed to ensure your safety, ma'am."

"We'll wait here."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's fine," she leaned in a bit closer and looked into his bright eyes. They weren't light brown like she had thought, but in fact a vivid, almost surreal, orange.  
"Please, Ichi-kun?" she said so sweetly.

He just looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Sakura felt a pang of guilt for deceiving him.

"Okay," he said. "You two wait here."

He went to grab the bags but Takara leapt to take one first.

"This one stays with us," she said with a smile, and gave him the rest.

"Thanks, Ichi."

"Yeah, thank you, Ichi-kun," Takara winked at him.

He nodded solemnly and walked away, looking a little strange as an adult male with so many shopping bags.

They peeked around the corner as he made his way through the crowd, and Takara took her hand.

"Let's go!"

They took off at a run in the other direction, laughing, giddy like children with the adrenaline rush of new freedom. Out of the shopping complex, up stairs, across a few streets and finally stopping in an elevator to catch their breath.

Panting, Takara pressed the STOP button so the elevator wouldn't move. She tossed the one remaining bag to Sakura.

"You were amazing back there! Very convincing, I almost felt bad for him! But you didn't tell me your bodyguard was such a hottie."

"Is he?" Sakura considered. He certainly was very attractive, but she hardly looked at any other men but Kane.

"Yeah, it's too bad he seems like such a stick in the mud. Otherwise I'd be pulling him along with us."

Sakura opened the bag to find the slinky green dress and silver heels that her friend had somehow slipped into the same bag. She changed quickly while Takara pulled another dress out of her purse. For a moment Sakura was surprised it had fit in the small purse until she saw how very little fabric there was making up the dress.

By the time the elevator doors opened again, both girls were now dressed for a night out and Takara called her limo to take them to where they would meet Niko.

Xoxox

Flashing lights, fast music, a throbbing bass she could feel in her bones. The club had a life of its own, with a heartbeat and veins of beautiful people laughing, flirting, drinking, dancing, or just scanning the room searching for who only they knew. Others were sitting on the groups of lounge chairs scattered towards the back of the room, where the bouncers turned a blind eye to the substances and happenings behind them.

It was to this back section that Takara led Sakura once they had cut to the front of a long line outside. She seemed to know the front bouncer personally, or they had some agreement, because with one look at her (along with a quick sweep over her body) he had nodded them inside.

The sunlight disappeared the second they passed through the doorway – inside it was as if the daytime never existed. The room was incredibly big, and went up two stories with a balcony over one side. Off in different directions she could see large doorways to what were probably more dance floors. Everywhere was packed.

Takara took her hand and began leading her deeper into the chaos.

It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't want to get lost in the masses here. She held Takara's hand tight and they made their way in a half-circle around the dance floor, but there was no clear path to the back.

People stared as they passed; first at Takara, then her

"Hey, sugar," said a lean man stepping directly in her path. She felt hands grab her hips and roam freely on her body and she had to shove hard to get him away. But it was too late; Takara was out of sight, even her shocking purple hair disappeared in the crowd.

"Where you going, baby?" the man was persistent. His hand was on her arm now. _Hell, no. _She took a deep breath and felt an eye twitch.

"Get off of me, creep!" she twisted out of his hold and he made a sour face. But suddenly recognition flickered across his face and he broke into a smile.

"Hey, I know you!"

She froze, mouth open in a retort. "You- you know me?"

"Yeah, you're that chick Kiamatsu Kane is always with! Mystery girl with no name, nobody can figure out who you are. Nobody can get close enough."

"Well you're too close as it is. Leave me alone."

She pushed through the crowd in the direction she hoped to find her friend. Miraculously, within a few minutes she saw familiar maroon eyes meet hers and the two made their way together. Takara hugged her, laughing.

"Don't do that again!" she scolded, and taking her hand again, they made it up a few steps to a VIP section off to the side, with its own personal bar and servers.

There was a rope separating it from the rest of the club and, just like outside, the large bouncer recognized Takara and he unhooked the velvet rope for her.

"Hey there, Takara-chan," he said sweetly, and she reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Niko here yet?"

He smirked and nodded to the far end. "I think him and Mitsuko-san had a little too much fun already."

As they passed, he glanced at Sakura and did a double take.  
"Hey, it's you!" he smiled, not unkindly. "Coming here, of all places."

"It's her fault," she pointed at Takara. He laughed and hooked the rope behind them. "Have a good time, ladies."

At the back, sitting on one of the lounge chairs was Niko, his black hair ruffled and his white shirt half unbuttoned. His friend Mitsuko was sprawled on the couch next to him, his head resting on the back, appearing to be sleeping. How he could sleep in a place like this was beyond Sakura.

Takara went straight to Niko and straddled him in the chair. His hands actually went to her legs before he even opened his eyes.

"That must be my sweet purple-haired beauty," he mumbled, and let her throw her arms around him.

"When will you be my boyfriend, Niko-sama?" she said sweetly. "You know you want me."

He laughed and opened his silver eyes. "You know why." He glanced to his friend. "Bros before –"

She punched him before he could finish. "Don't you dare!"

He laughed and sat up. "Where's your cute friend?" He leaned around Takara to see her.

"It's Sakura," she said.

His eyes ran over her dress. "Mm-mh. Nice!"

She felt herself blush. "Looks like you're doing better than Mitsuko tonight."

Niko looked over and kicked his friend in the shin.

"What?" the man sat up quick and whipped out a gun pointed straight at Sakura.

Niko burst out laughing. "Take it down a notch, Mitsuko!"

The blonde shook his head and wiped a little drool from his mouth. "Was I asleep?"

"Get that thing outta my face," Sakura scowled at him.

He stared up at her with a drunken smile and blinked.

"Oh hey, it's you!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Well what do you expect, mystery girl? No one ever sees you."

"The name's Sakura."

She knew she was being pissy, but she figured having a gun shoved in her face was reason enough not to like someone.

"Sakura, what a pretty name. C'mere, Sakura-chan, I wanna catch up."

He pulled her down on the couch, which was amazingly soft. It felt like sitting on a cloud, no wonder he could fall asleep so easy on it.

A server dressed in very little clothing came over and placed several drinks in front of them. A smile was flashed to Sakura, but it was superficial until she turned it towards the men.

"What's this?" Sakura said as she was handed a pink drink.

"Courtesy of the club owner, ma'am," said the server with a nod upstairs. "Cosmopolitan."

Sakura poked at the little lime twist floating on top and took a sip. It was delicious, but the masked taste of alcohol was a little worrying.

"Sweet, right?" said Takara, who had swung her legs over so she sat on Niko's lap.

"Have one more of those and we're off to dance. Dance with me, Niko-kun."

"You know I want to, baby," he said. "Just show me the way."

They both downed their drinks and she led him over to a stereo, immediately grinding on him without a care who was watching them.

Mitsuko watched them as he took a long sip of his drink. Suddenly it clicked to Sakura. His blonde best friend was the reason Niko didn't take it any further with Takara; there must have been some history there no one had explained to her. But obviously that didn't stop Niko from having fun with her. Takara was an incredibly pretty girl, after all.

Still, it was eerie to watch someone who looked so much like Kane dancing with another girl.

"So how do you like it?"

She had almost forgotten about Mitsuko, who was now watching her intently. It looked like he had brushed his problems out of mind, and now he was back to the playboy best friend that she recognized.

"Like what?"

He drifted a hand across the room. "The underside of Akirasawa. The side that Kane-san doesn't want you to see."

"It's not that bad. I mean I knew that Niko parties a lot anyway, gets into trouble."

He made a face. "Is that what Kane told you? That . . . listen. Niko's a great guy, he's just - different than Kane. When their parents died, Kane had everything- absolutely everything that was his parents- thrown onto his shoulders. Don't get me wrong, it must have been hard. But the thing is, it was all on his shoulders. Get me?"

She glanced back at Niko. "So, because Kane was the oldest, he got possession of the entire Kiamatsu Corporation, and Niko got none?"

"That's right. Imagine how hard that must have been to know your own brother didn't trust in you enough to help save your parents' industries. He grew up believing he was inferior to his genius brother, and then to get slapped in the face like that . . . I think in the end Niko decided to just let Kane have his way. If he wanted a childish brother to take care of, he'd have it. They haven't been close ever since."

"That's horrible," Sakura admitted. Sometimes you could never tell about people. Not only did this Mitsuko guy who seemed like just any spoiled snot was apparently very intelligent, but poor Niko was simply living up to the low expectations his older brother had for him. It made sense now, that Niko constantly showed up at his brother's functions and homes where he wasn't welcome, he did things that seemed crazy at the time when all he was doing was begging for attention, like a child.

"Hasn't he ever said anything to Kane about it?"

The blonde shook his head. "He's got too much pride for that. I've known him since he was a kid, nothing like that's ever going to happen."

She sighed and put down her drink. She didn't really feel like finishing it, the sugar in it was giving her a mild headache. Or maybe it was the news that the man she had idolized now appeared to be a selfish, spiteful brother. How could she respect him now when he had neglected his brother like that?

"I'm gonna go outside for a second," she told Mitsuko as she stood, "Tell Takara I'll meet her back here."

"Do you have to go?" he asked, taking her hand. The abrupt shift in demeanor startled her. He looked suddenly very lonely.

"I guess not." She sat back down and he smiled very honestly at her.

"Thank you, Sakura. It's nice talking to you. I just . . ." He trailed off, but his eyes went once more to the couple still dancing.

"You really like her, don't you?"

He started, then gave a resigned sigh. "She'd never have me. If it's not _Niko-kun_, it's nobody."

At that moment a pair of arms threw themselves around his neck. Two more girls sat next to him, all with heavy makeup and drinks in hand.  
"Mitsuko-kun!" cooed one, "Look at you sitting all by yourself. Why aren't you having fun with us?"

Sakura stared as the benevolent Mitsuko was replaced by the cocky flirt in a second flat. His wide smile was as convincing as anything as he greeted them.

"Ladies! How are you beauties doing tonight? And why haven't any of you let me buy you a drink?"

The three girls erupted into giggles and the nearest one ran a hand not-so-subtly across his leg.

"Because you never called me after the other night, Mitsuko-kun. I was so mad at you."

"Well, let me make it up to you. Bartender!"

Not the least insulted by being ignored, Sakura got up again and tapped Mitsuko on the leg for his attention.

"I'm gonna step out for a minute," she said to the distracted blonde, and she made her way out the back.

It wasn't the girls that bothered her, it was his sudden personality change that had caught her off guard. How was she supposed to tell who was being genuine around here when everyone constantly changed their minds about who they were? One second Mitsuko was so pathetic, the next he was chatting up girls as usual. Niko seemed to be just as superficial and immature, but he refused to let anyone see his pain. Kane was the kindest person she had met yet, he had even saved her life, but there was that darker side to him that he refused to let her see. And she was sure that Takara was someone only to be trusted as long as you were in her favor. For all she knew, she would drop Sakura like a used tissue once she got bored of her.

It was all too much to take, especially for someone in her condition. Stepping out the back door, which thankfully had handles on both sides and a bouncer inside who nodded her past over his open magazine, she swallowed the crisp evening air like it was her first breath. Something was different, tonight. She felt like . . . like jumping very high, above the skyscrapers around her, and just getting far away. As if she could move fast enough. As if that were possible.

The alley she was in was wide and unthreatening. A single lane road passed through, and cars were visible on each side. There was a metal bench against the back wall of the club. She sat down and turned her face to the stars –

"No stars, of course," she mumbled to herself. The lights of the city were far too bright for that. Maybe, out in the woods, where she had first been wandering, she could see them again. Maybe then she would remember who she really was. Because none of this, none of this was familiar.

She made a sudden fist in anger and leaned her head against the wall. Why had no one come to claim her? When she stayed mostly indoors it was understandable, but by now her face had been plastered across every newspaper and magazine at least once. Whoever knew who she was must have seen her by now. They knew where to find her. So why didn't anyone come?

She got up and began to pace.

Unless, of course, she was someone whom nobody missed. That thought had been at the back of her mind for a while, but only now did she really let its ugliness surface. If she was unwanted, maybe there were people who were happy she was gone. Maybe a criminal, or even a killer. No, that was ridiculous. Her family, if she had one, would never disown her like that. Right? There had to be friends, coworkers, _anybody_ to claim her.

The anger suddenly overwhelmed her and she went to kick the leg of the metal bench. The concrete exploded around her as the bench shot across the alley, smashing into the opposite wall and flinging down the street before coming to a rest in a twisted heap of metal.

She yelped and looked around for an attacker but there was nobody in sight. The alley was silent and empty but for her pounding heart. It took maybe a full minute for her to comprehend that she was safe. Her back was to the wall and – what was that? She was doing something with her hand again, just like back on the beach when she had been scared to death by a low-flying helicopter. Lowering her two fingers, she paused and made the sign again. What did it mean?

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out. It was a text from Takara, '_Where are you_?'

She glanced back at the ruined remains of the bench and suddenly wasn't in the mood to go back inside.

'_Meet you back at the apmnt, don't feel good_,' she typed back.

'_Ok girl. Let me know when your safe_.'

Sakura flicked the phone shut and sank down against the wall. Unwillingly she looked at the bench again. _What _had just happened?

"I just kicked it," she mumbled, putting her head in her hands. What did that mean? That wasn't normal! Tears stung her eyes but she wiped them away. She wanted to figure this out, she couldn't mope.

A sound that had been just part of the background noise suddenly became deafening and she looked up to see a large motorcycle pull into the alley.

Shit, how could she explain this to anyone? Nothing could twist metal like that. Not to mention the giant crater in the brick wall.

The black bike slowed to a stop behind the bench, engine idling. No doubt the driver was trying to comprehend the mess. But it came back to life and eased down the alley before turning off a few feet in front of her. She looked up at the silent helmeted driver, obviously a man, and felt tears well up again. It was sheer confusion and perhaps her headache that urged them on.

The driver dismounted and removed his helmet, coming to kneel down in front of her.

It was Ichi.

He held her face in his hands and looked at her so intensely, so wretchedly, that she forgot about everything else. He was looking at her like a lover, like somebody who knew her so well he actually felt the pain she was feeling.

"I- Ichi?" she stammered. His silence was the most comforting thing possible and she felt everything spill out of her.

"I don't know what happened! I was just standing out here pacing and angry because nothing makes sense right now and I kicked the chair and something _happened _to it and it was like the thing was hit by a _truck _and I don't know how to explain it and I _don't _know what's going on with me!"

He breathed a bitter laugh and shook his head.

"You silly girl," he said gently. "You still don't know."

He had caught her off guard. "Know what? Do – do you know what I did? Do you know who I am? Ichi, say something, please!"

He looked torn as he slowly shook his head. "It can't be helped," he mumbled. Then, "Come with me."

She looked up at him with wide eyes as he held out a hand.

"Go with you where?"

"It's about time I helped you figure out who you are."

Xoxoxox


	9. Chapter 9 Redone

Ok lovely readers, I was dead for a while but I'm back! I threw out the crappy ending-thing to the last chapter. The beginning is the same, but since it's been so long feel free to skim over it again. I have to say that bc you awesome people still read and review, it gave me the energy to start up again (you know who you are!) Please let me know if you like the new chapter. 3

xxx

She stared at him for a moment, weighing her options in her mind. He looked back patiently, calmly, silently. She didn't see why she shouldn't go with him. Kane had trusted him, so why shouldn't she? Kane who, for all his kindness, couldn't help her find out who she really was. Maybe Ichi could; it was worth the chance.

She grasped his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Swinging a leg over the body of the machine, he patted the seat behind.

"You coming?" he asked, and she cautiously hopped on behind him. Her heels fit snug on the back pedals but the lack of support behind her was unsettling. It felt like she could tip at any moment.

Ichi pulled the helmet off the handle bar and handed it to her. It fit a little loose on her head, and she felt more than a bit ridiculous wearing a motorcycle helmet over her dress.

"Where do I hold on?"

"Right here," he said, taking her hands and wrapping them around his waist. The act pressed her body flush to his. Judging by the heat on her face she bet the helmet was covering a vicious blush. She wondered if he noticed but she couldn't get a good look at his face. Her seat on the bike was set higher up than his, so she could see over his shoulders even with the loose helmet partially obscuring her view.

With a twist of a key the machine roared to life beneath them, twitching with energy like a beast ready to pounce.

"What is this? How fast does it go?" she asked nervously.

"Hayabusa," he said, motioning to the Kanji logo on its side. "Trust me, you don't wanna know how fast it can run."

He pulled the throttle and they took off.

She squeezed tight to him as they tore out of the alley and onto the main street, the neon lights of stores and cars blurring past them as they picked up speed. It was terrifying and thrilling all at once; it seemed any second the machine could whizz off course and crash, but it never did. Ichi had complete control of it and navigated between cars so easily it was like he knew what the drivers were going to do before they did.

They were heading out of the heart of the city, farther than she'd been since she was on the beach that first night. It was getting colder and she hugged her body to Ichi's for warmth and rested her head on his shoulders. It was comforting to trust somebody like this, even if she wasn't sure why she did in the first place.

She felt her bag buzz under her arm. It was probably Kane wondering where she was. How would she explain this to him? She let the thought drift out of her mind for the moment – it was too exhilarating on this bike to focus on anything else. Kane was just a friend, right? She didn't have to answer to him.

They pulled off the highway and down a smaller one-lane road that led to a small gate, tucked between a few buildings. It was an exit out of the city. A man peeked out of a window and Ichi nodded to him. The gate opened and they left the Akirasawa limits.

"It's a secret exit out of the city?" she asked, once they slowed down enough for her to talk.

He glanced back at her. "The other exits are watched, just like most of this city. I don't want to risk anybody seeing this."

A cold chill ran up her spine. "Ichi . . ." she said slowly, suddenly getting nervous. What exactly was going on here? She cursed herself for putting herself in this situation.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

The woods got darker and denser around them when they veered off course to a small road, almost a trail. He killed the engine once they reached a clearing, dimly lit by the glow of the city which outshone the moon. But it was far enough where no one would hear or see them.

The second the motorcycle stopped Sakura hopped off and backed away, fingering her cell phone in her bag. She would probably have a chance to dial someone before he reached her, but if he decided to attack, well, she had seen how he'd handled those thugs after that party. She doubted she would have a chance.

Realizing the helmet was still on, she pulled it off and tossed it to the ground.

Ichi got off the bike, looked at her wary face and sighed heavily.

"Sakura, you can relax."

"Forget that, I'm not gonna relax until you tell me why we're here."

"I just brought you here so that nobody could see what I'm about to show you. But first I have to say what you probably already feel, even if you don't know it. You're not from Akirasawa, nor from any city east of the ocean."

"I'm . . . I'm not?" Something settled within her, like she was hearing what she already knew deep inside. The reason why nothing about the city was familiar, the reason why no family or friends had claimed her. Could it be true?

"Where you come from, it's . . . not someplace they like around here. It's a myth more than a real place to them, somewhere they used to know generations ago and have willfully forgotten all about. If someone knew who you were, especially Kane, you would be hurt, maybe even killed."

"Kane would never do anything to me! Who are you to say that?"

He smiled sadly. "I'm someone who knows you better than you know yourself. At least, right now."

"What does that mean?" she snapped. Being so confused in front of a near stranger wasn't a good feeling.

"Ah, I think we're going about this the wrong way." He walked over to her slowly, and she tensed up. But he just picked up the helmet and placed it on the bike.

He turned back to her.

"What do you remember from before you were found? Anything at all?"

She shook her head.

"No strange visions, or dreams?"

She bit her lip and thought back to one night when she had woken up in a cold sweat, screaming her head off. Kane had been sleeping in the next room and burst in alarmed. She had claimed it was just a nightmare, that she couldn't remember what it had been about. But she did remember; it was bright and vivid and real. She had been talking to a boy, tall and very pale, in weird clothing, but whatever she was saying she didn't know. What she remembered most about him was his eyes, incredibly dark and beautiful. Although he was strong and mad and definitely about to hurt her, she remembered having no fear. Who was she to be that brave?

But there was someone else there- a boy, blonde, tan and blue-eyed, standing beside her. He was yelling at the other, getting angry, and his anger emitted from him like crude radiation. The fierce energy formed red around him and his eyes changed to slits and his teeth grew long and he was a monster, howling and taking off running at the other boy. There was a flash of unnatural light and she knew she loved him like a brother and he would get hurt, she had to stop him and she was screaming until she had found herself awake in Kane's arms.

"A dream," she began, "I had a dream. Who is the boy with the blue eyes?"

He paused, and a slow smile crinkled his eyes. "Blue eyes, blonde hair?"

She nodded.

"He was your friend."

"He was a – a monster?"

"Yes, he is," Ichi admitted.

She dropped her bag. Was he serious? But, there was no humor or lies in his voice. Somehow, she believed him.

"Then, who am I? Am I a monster too?"

"No, no," he took a step closer. His hands were out as if to show her he was unarmed. "Sakura, where we come from, he's not alone. We're all just different there."

"We? You're from that place too?"

"I am. We came here together. I know it sounds strange to you now, but we came here on a ship that hit a storm and you got separated from me. You must have hit your head or gotten knocked unconscious, because you've had amnesia and I've been waiting all this time for you to remember it all, remember us, but I can't wait anymore."

He had been edging towards her all this time and he tried to take her hands but she backed away, shaking her head.

"No, this doesn't make any sense. Monsters and imaginary places? You're insane - I want you to take me back."

"Please," he whispered. Then he held up his hands. "What if I showed you? Would you believe me then?"

She didn't respond.

He licked his lips and looked around. He raised his hand out at the motorcycle.

Sakura's mouth dropped as the thing lifted off the ground and sat a good six feet in the air. There was nothing underneath it. It just floated there, and to top it all off, the thing flipped on its belly and back upright.

"This . . . this is impossible," she said. "No, this is a trick."

"Sakura, please, just try to remember."

"No! You're making this up!"

"You can do it too! You've just forgotten how. I was hoping you'd remember by now. In the alley tonight, you hit a bench and you hit it harder than you thought possible, right?"

She had forgotten about that completely. It had gone flying from just a careless tap from her.

"How do you think that was possible? Because you're just like me, Sakura, you're different like me and if you just remembered you'd understand."

"But I don't, okay?" she yelled, "I don't remember you, or a blonde boy, or being able to make motorcycles float!"

She wiped away her tears and squeezed her eyes shut. That dream was so chilling, was that really where she came from? Why couldn't she remember if all the clues were there right before her?

Warm arms embraced her in a gentle hug and she let him, too exhausted to care.

"Please, remember," he whispered in her ear, ". . . please, princess. For me."

She gasped. His face, his black piercings, his eyes, his body torn and bleeding in a chair - Konoha, Tsunade, Ino, Kakashi, Sai, Naruto! She couldn't breathe, a thousand little files of memory filled her mind so fast she could hardly concentrate on a single one. Sitting on a bench in the warm sunshine with Sasuke and Naruto, waiting for their chronically late teacher to arrive. Laughing in the office with Tsunade as they polished off a bottle of sake over paperwork. Running after Sasuke in the dark, begging for him to stay in Konoha . . . sleeping in the cold forest on a mission with her team, Naruto throwing his own blanket over her for warmth . . . spending nights down in the dungeon with Pein while she healed him of his wounds, running away with him, fighting Sasuke, crying over Konan's death, taking a ship out to the other world to escape ANBU. . .

She turned around to face him, fresh tears streaming down her face now.

"Pein," she whispered, "Is it really you?"

He nodded, and there were tears in his eyes now.

"What happened to your face?" she asked, touching it lightly. As if he would disappear.

He smiled. "I didn't want to startle you before," and he let the chakra mask drop. It was him as she remembered, pierced and with his bright ringed eyes that would have given him away as a foreigner in an instant back in the city.

"I'm so happy you're back, Sakura. My Sakura," he said, pulling her in tight and showering her head with kisses. She leaned up and kissed him back, completely blissful that she could find someone she loved so much so instantly. It was like the entire time she was in the city only dammed up her feelings for him that flooded her now.

She pulled back and stared at his face again, drinking in his wonderful features and the way he looked at her.

"Gods, I missed you, Pein, and I didn't even know it."

"You were worth waiting for, princess."

He kissed her again passionately and they fell to the ground in a heap. Feeling his body against hers was incredibly familiar and comforting. She remembered his strong arms and the way they wrapped around her, his muscled chest heaving under her touch, his ever-unreadable face left fervently bare and expressive as he looked on her. She knew they could easily spend hours just exploring each other's bodies again, as if for the first time.

They lay in the clearing under the moonlight and Sakura felt more at home here, in the grass with him, than she had ever felt in Kane's penthouse.

"What do we do now?" she asked. "We can't go back to the city. Do we run again?"

"Well, we never really had a plan from the start, did we?" he said, touching her face. "Before this all happened, I thought we could stay here in Akirasawa and blend in as an ordinary couple. But now . . . well, the nearest city is a journey of a few weeks, and we have no provisions to travel on now, anyway. I think its best we lay low for a while, to figure things out."

"But we did it once before, didn't we? I remember leaving your hideout with only small bags and the clothes on our backs."

"That was different. I had many connections there, and knew the land like the back of my hand. There was also plenty of game there; food was easy enough to come by. In these woods there is hardly a creature worth hunting for more than sport, and even the edible ones aren't anything to live on."

"I swear on my first night I heard something big moving in the dark."

"Probably one of the overgrown insects."

"Overgrown?"

"I've seen a beetle big enough to live off rabbits."

She sat up. "Are all the animals like that?"

"The most dangerous ones don't tend to come out until after nightfall, and I've made it a point to avoid making their acquaintance. Especially the spiders."

"Ew," she shivered, imagining a giant spider or beetle and how she might have had not a small heart attack if that was the first thing she had seen after waking. Even worse was the idea of having to sleep in a forest where bugs the size of small cars crawled on you at night.

She sighed heavily. "I guess you're right, we can't just leave like that here."

"You'd probably ruin your dress."

She punched him lightly. "Like I care about that."

"Well, you've built quite a life for yourself here, Sakura. I want to be sure you're ready to leave. You have a choice. The last thing I want to do is ask you to leave a place you call home for a second time."

"I guess I should say goodbye to Kane and Takara. At the very least, I owe them that. They've been so good to me. It might break Kane's heart to see me go, even."

"I think it might. The way he looks at you, I'd be surprised if he lets you go easily."

"Then I'll just have to tell him my heart belongs to somebody else."

He smiled in that sincere way that softened his eyes and she leaned in to kiss him. But at that moment a crash from the woods stopped them and an orange blur raced for Sakura.

Pein pushed her away and grabbed the blur, which, when shouting and reaching around for the hand that gripped his back collar, was the boy she had only seen in her dreams for so long.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out, and threw her arms around him. He squeezed her back and was let to the ground by his captor. She remembered the obnoxious child he was, and how he had grown, the way he could lose control and how he had hurt her, how she had saved him… a lifetime's worth of memories and feelings welled up inside.

Tears stung her eyes for a second time that night as she pulled back to look at him.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

He grinned his signature toothy grin and pointed to the woods. There stood three figures, two of which brought back a whole new wave of memories.

Hinata, Sasuke . . . and a hooded stranger.

Pein stood silently by as the emotional reunion took place. She marveled at Sasuke's newly-transplanted eyes (still his sclera were almost as red as his irises) and gawked as Hinata showed her a huge engagement ring. They said they had come to see her, save her, if necessary. At that point she turned back to Pein and pulled him to the group. She explained, as briefly as she could make it, how she had lost her memories on the trip over, was found by a man who not only helped her back to her feet but owned the city, and was finally discovered by Pein, who patiently waited for her to be ready to accept the truth.

"Wow," Hinata gushed, "You left a guy who owned an entire city?"

Sakura started. The Hyuuga must have been spending time with Ino lately.

"He was so nice to me, and I do feel bad for leaving him," she sighed. "But as long as Pein and I are together, we can make it anywhere."

"Jeez, Sakura, you're breaking our hearts," Sasuke sneered, but his expression gave away his good humor.

"Are the ANBU still looking for us, anyway?"

"I hate to break up this heart-felt reunion," Pein interrupted, "But is there any way we could take this inside somewhere?"

"But Pein, how will we get back into the city?"

"Leave that to me," said the other visitor. As the moonlight hit his orange mask, Sakura suddenly remembered his name, and who he was. But Pein spoke it first.

"Hello again, Tobi," he said evenly. "I'm guessing you want to talk to me, too."

"How will you get us inside?" Sasuke asked.

"Same way we got here," he said with a smile in his voice.

"Wait-" Naruto started, but Tobi had appeared behind Hinata and Sakura, hugging them both tight to him, and the boys grudgingly each placed a hand on him, and Sakura felt her stomach drop as the woods twisted and disappeared around them. Wind blew in her ears. Suddenly the fuzzy form of Kane's penthouse came into view. With a jolt, her feet hit the ground and all but Tobi and Pein fell into a lump on the floor.

"Kuso…" Naruto rubbed his head and did a double take. He reached out one hand and pulled Hinata off of a red-faced Sasuke's lap.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun!" she yelped.

"I'll never get used to that," he mumbled.

"You won't!" said Naruto.

"I meant the transportation, baka."

"I knew that, teme."

"Ano, where are we?" Hinata asked, stumbling to her feet.

"The safest place in the city, in Sakura's mind," Tobi said proudly.

"We shouldn't be here," Sakura said softly. Her head was still spinning from the transportation and Pein helped her to her feet.

She caught sight of Naruto, whose mouth was open in a drooling gape. She followed his vision to the leftovers of Tanaka and hers late-night binge of the chef's specials, and she laughed at the familiarity of it all.

"Go ahead, Naruto," she said, and he dove for the buffet.

"Tobi wants food, too!"

Black and orange blurs took over the coffee table as the two sat side by side and scarfed down the delicacies. All four onlookers stood silent at the odd coupling of the once-enemies, now handing each other plates and gulping down sushi so amicably.

"Things really have changed," Sakura sighed. She sat down opposite Naruto and Hinata joined her. Sasuke and Pein remained standing.

"I just hope Kane doesn't come home any time soon. I don't know how I can explain all of you."

"Wha-gu-meam?" Naruto munched.

"I mean, we aren't the most normal looking bunch of people in Akurasawa. Pein always has his eyes and piercings camouflaged, and my hair is marked off as a dye-job. Other than that, we blend in."

"We can blend in too!" Hinata closed her eyes and opened them to reveal a set of beautiful blue irises.

Sasuke groaned. "This is gonna sting." He blinked and his eyes were back to their original black. His Sharingan was activated still, but cloaked under the disguise.

Tobi thought for a bit and then, with a laugh and a puff of smoke, a small black kitten sat where he had been. A small orange patch circled one eye.

"Anything to hide yourself, huh?" said Pein, now disguised again sans-piercings. However he still looked perfectly edible to Sakura in his black suit and motorcycle jacket.

The cat meowed and leapt up into his arms.

"Tobi-neko is adorable now!" the kitten squeaked, and cuddled into Pein's chest.

Sakura nearly wet herself with how cute the scene was. Pein didn't seem to know what to do with himself so he just stared back at the purring kitten. She decided to save him.

"Naruto, you next."

"What? I look normal!"

"Ahem," she ran one finger across her cheek.

"Oh, yeah," he said, and suddenly the marks were gone.

"People here have no idea what chakra is, or how to use it," Pein explained. "If we started showing out powers to them here, showing that we're . . . foreigners, we'd more likely be killed or thrown in a lab somewhere than welcomed."

"Sounds like a safe place to bring her, Pein," Sasuke snorted. "Why don't we just throw an ANBU hunt in to make sure she'll get killed."

"Sasuke, chill out!" Sakura snapped. "I'm alive still, right? Pein would never put me in harm's way."

"Oh, is that why he took you from your village and made you a missing-nin?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," she growled.

"Sasuke-kun, please don't start a fight," pleaded Hinata, "We just got here, and Sakura is fine, just like we hoped. That's why we came here, after all."

He frowned but shrugged. "My bad, guys. Sakura, I'm sorry. I'm happy you're alright."

She smiled. He may still be a dick sometimes, but the old Sasuke would have fought to the death rather than apologize. She was slightly impressed that Hinata's words were enough to calm him.

Naruto, his hunger finally finished sated, sat back in the couch and held his belly.

"Food coma," he said with a blissful smile.

Hinata giggled.

The elevator doors opened.

Takara and Niko's blonde friend Mitsuko stumbled into the room. Both caught sight of the crowd and froze.

"What the hell is this?" Mitsuko laughed. "Is this a break-in? Should I empty my wallet?"

"Sakura?" Takara asked. "What's going on?"

Sakura cursed a dozen things in her mind at once but stood up to talk to her friend.

"These are just some friends of mine," she said.

Takara swayed a little, clearly from the effect of alcohol rather than shock.

"Does this mean your memories are back?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. Takara jumped into her arms.

"Oh, sweetie that's amazing! You have to tell me everything!" Then whispered, "And who's that hottie in the corner?"

"Wait, Sakura, isn't that your _chauffeur_?" Mitsuko laughed. He threw himself on the couch next to Naruto and offered his hand. The two blondes looked eerily similar next to one another.

"Mitsuko."

"Naruto."

"Ah, this is going to be a more interesting night then I thought."

Then he saw Hinata and looked her up and down. "Aren't you a cutie," he said, and swiftly sat down beside her.

"What's your name?" He leaned in so close, Hinata turned beet red and looked to Naruto for support.

"Her name is Hinata, and she's MY FIANCE."

"Woah, woah, settle down there, Naruto-kun, I didn't know."

"And who are you?" Takara, still in her nightclub-best, slinked over to the Uchiha. For a split second Sakura felt a little angry, but it was nothing. If she wanted to get shot down by the most cold and unfriendly boy in the village, she could give it a try.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said smoothly. "You are gorgeous - you must be Takara."

Every eye in the room turned to him. Even a little kitten head poked out of Pein's arms. Sasuke – flirting?

Takara giggled. "I am. And what a horrible host Sakura is for not offering you all drinks."

She sauntered over to the bar and Sasuke followed like a puppy, an odd look on his face.

As they began pouring drinks and talking across the room, Mitsuko rolled his eyes.

"She knows what she wants tonight."

"What?" Naruto asked dumbly. Hinata kicked him lightly.

Mitsuko snapped his fingers. "Ichi – that's your name, I remember now. What the hell are you doing here, anyway? Don't you have limos to drive?"

Before Sakura could think of an excuse, Pein saved her.

"I was assigned by Kane-sama to watch after Sakura-san. That's what I'm doing."

"And the little kitty in your hands is . . . secretly a gun?"

"The kitten is mine," Hinata said bravely. She got up and took Tobi from Pein, petting him in her arms. He purred and cuddled into her big chest, earning him a harsh glare from Naruto.

"Yeah, Niko, get over here ASAP. There's a god-damn party going on here at Kane's without you."

Mitsuko snapped shut his cell and Sakura groaned. But the damage was done.

It looked like Niko would be here soon. Which meant Kane would find out. Even with her memory back, she couldn't remember a time when her life was so undeniably hectic.

xxx


End file.
